Introduction
The launching of the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) is the second largest initiative by India after the success of the Chandrayaan, the lunar mission. MOM was launched on 24 September 2015. It collected a large data set acquired by all five payloads successfully completing one year of the mission life around Mars. On this occasion, a Mars Atlas containing a compilation of images collected and sent by Mars Colour Camera (MCC) was brought out by the Space Applications Centre of (ISRO) at Ahmedabad. Mars Global Data (MGD) had showed the clouds, dust in atmosphere and surface albedo variations, collected from its apoapsis at around 72,000 km.
India’s Maiden Interplanetary Probe
Mars, one of the nearest planets to the Earth, has attracted people towards itself since the beginning of space research. Till the beginning of the twenty-first century, many unmanned orbiters, rovers and landers have been launched in order to reach Mars since early 1960s. The successful ones of these missions have sent a large numbers of data on diverse scientific aspects of the Mars.
The space research was revolutionised by the Missile Man, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. Following his paved ways, India joined the club of space faring nations to explore Mars in 2014 by launching its first, interplanetary mission, Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM). It is also known as Mangalyaan. It reached the Red Planet at night on 23 September 2014, only two days after the touch of Mars orbit by NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution probe (MAVEN).
Mangalyaan is a Sanskrit term meaning, the Mars craft. It costs India 73 million US dollars just a tenth of NASA’s Mars mission Maven and took a record period of less than two years to design, build, and launch to its mission. Naturally, it was a matter of pride for the Indians.
Instruments of MOM
Mangalyaan carried five science instruments with a view to collect data on atmospheric processes, surface geology, surface temperature, morphology, and atmospheric escape process. These are as follows:
Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyser (MENCA): It was capable of analysing the neutral composition of particles. This payload was adapted from Chandra’s Altitudinal Composition Explorer (CHANCE) payload aboard the Moon Impact Probe (MIP) in Chandrayaan-1 mission.
Lyman-Alpha Photometer (LAP): It could measure the relative abundance of hydrogen and deuterium from Lyman-alpha emissions in the upper atmosphere.
Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (TIS): Its operation could be conducted both by day and at night, and could measure the thermal emission. It could also map mineralogy, surface composition and atmospheric CO2 and turbidity of Mars.
Methane Sensor for Mars (MSM): It could measure methane, if any, in the atmosphere of Mars and map its sources.
Mars Colour Camera (MCC): This tricolour camera could collect and send images and information about the composition of the surface of the Mars.
India’s Pride in the Success of Mangalyaan
The injection of Mangalyaan into the Martian orbit and its completion of some 120 orbits brought cent per cent success to India.
Undoubtedly, the Mars mission achieved the acknowledgment in the field of space science and technology also by the speech of US President, Barack Obama: ‘India and America are two countries that have reached Mars’. China too praised the success ofMangalyaan and terms it as the pride of Asia.
Previously, the United States of America (USA) tried to scuttle Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), but now it seeks joint venture in the space research and exploration. However, Mangalyaan helped get rid of the shackles and its success brought ISRO and NASA together to build and launch NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission, an Earth Observing Satellite with the aim of studying climate change in the next five years.
The success of the maiden interplanetary mission of India, the indigenous Mangalyan mission, proved the capability and power to execute successful space research and exploration in near future. Consequentially, it has given extra-edge to the encouragement and curiosity of India’s endeavour in the field of space science and technology and inspired to undertake next greater initiatives.