They say a picture speaks a thousand words. It indeed does! On 28th September 2014, four days after India’s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) was successfully placed in the Martian orbit, the New York Times featured a cartoon by artist Heng Kim Song titled, ‘India’s Budget Mission to Mars’. 
Image 1. Image Source: New York Times
For any citizen of a country, whose space research organisation just created history by reaching the orbit of the red planet in its maiden attempt, this cartoon is a sure let down. One look at it and one cannot fail to notice the stereotypes it depicts. The ‘Elite Space Club’ houses western men in suits reading the newspaper, while the Indian man, presumably a farmer knocks on the door of this Elite Space Club with a cow in tow. Surely there could have been a better way to depict the feat achieved, but the artist was probably not in the mood for it. For those who have maybe forgotten what happened in the November of 2013 and consequently in September 2014, here is one of the most ambitious and inspiring events of the 2000s.
The Mars Orbiter Mission is like a fairy tale come true. There is an underdog character wanting to reach the stars (in this case, reaching a new and unknown planet altogether), time constraints, unforeseen obstacles, criticisms, but it’s the underdog who emerges victorious at the end of the day. Let’s look at a brief history of the mission. The feasibility studies had begun in 2010 and the project was approved in August 2012 by the then Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh. As per the complex calculations of the scientists, the most suitable date for inserting the spacecraft into the Martian orbit was November 2013. The alignment and position of the Earth, Sun, and Mars would be such that MOM would enter the Martian orbit at the exact moment and point when Mars would be there too. Such an alignment occurs every 780 days and if the November 2013 date was missed, it would mean delaying the lift-off by almost two years to January 2016. The scientists decided to stick to the 2013 deadline. What was achieved in those 15 months is for the world to see.
Mangalyaan – as the Mars Orbiter Mission is also known, is one of the brightest examples of the Make in India program that the country is aiming at. Homegrown technologies and components have been at the forefront of this mission. This not only means that the dependency on expensive foreign imports is avoided, but also that indigenous scientists, researchers, and manufacturers have got an impetus. While Mangalyaan was initially planned for a period of six months, but as of 28th September 2019, it has been analysing Mars, communicating and sending information back to us for the last 5 years. This is a big advancement and speaks highly of the quality and success that homegrown technologies can achieve. The indigenous technology is also one of the major factors that has contributed to bringing down the overall cost of the mission. While the MAVEN mission (Mars Mission by NASA) cost a staggering 671 million US Dollars, India’s Mangalyaan was developed at only 74 million US Dollars. This has led many to comment on the inexpensive methods used to reach Mars in reality in comparison to the highly expensive Hollywood movie ‘Gravity’!
Mangalyaan has kept things simple. Its payload, i.e., the scientific instruments it carries, weighs only 15 kgs. Sure, when you reduce the complexity of a spacecraft, it might not be scientifically as capable as the other, but India has been smart and has targeted specific areas that it would like the orbiter to analyse and be in tandem with what the other orbiters are doing. Let’s take a look at MOM’s payloads.
Image 2. Image Source: ISRO
- LAP – Lyman Alpha Photometer: To help scientists understand water was lost from the Martian atmosphere in the past.
- MCC – Martian Color Camera: To take high resolution images of the Martian Surface.
- MSM – Methane Sensor for Mars: Highly sensitive instrument to trace even the slightest amount of Methane in the Martian atmosphere. Methane is one of the most trending topics as far as research on Mars is concerned, as it is produced by bugs and found in the digestive tracts of animals. This research could point towards some sort of life on Mars.
- TIS – Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectrometer: To study the minerals on the surface of Mars.
- MENCA – Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyser: To study and understand how the once thick atmosphere of Mars has gradually escaped.
Image 3. Image Source: Wikipedia Mars Orbiter Mission
Just as the human body requires energy to perform various tasks, so does a space probe need energy. In the Mangalyaan are three solar panels that convert solar energy into electricity so that the orbiter can work tirelessly. The antennae help it to communicate with the earth. The reason I wanted to highlight some technicalities associated with the orbiter is to emphasis on the fact that indigenous technologies are capable of achieving high standards. And it is not only about the native technologies, but also about the critical thinking that must have gone into designing and developing a space probe and at the same time keeping it simple. The amount of fuel that Mangalyaan is carrying is only 852 kgs to cover a distance of 1,92, 874 km!
Image 4. Image Source: Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
There have been criticisms about investing in space programs when instead the same financial resources could be used to develop healthcare or educational facilities in the country. One has to understand that investing in space programs develops the capacity and capability of a country. When India doesn’t contribute to technological advancements, she is criticised, at times by her own people for not being at par with others. When Odysseys like these are undertaken, some are suddenly reminded of the fact that we are still a ‘developing’ country and space operations are the privilege of the industrially advanced nations. On the contrary, it is space programs like these that facilitate cooperation among nations. India was supported by countries like Indonesia and Brunei to track the orbiter when it would lose complete contact with stations back home and by NASA itself, despite a US shutdown.
Worth noting is the immense contribution to the mission made by women scientists, project leads and support staff. In a field that is traditionally male dominated, Mangalyaan serves as an inspiration that women are just as capable of dealing with Math as men, of taking the lead, of contributing towards critical thinking and making a mark of their own. These women are nothing short of role models and a source of encouragement for many girls and women to take up science and technology and fly high.
It is stories and adventures like these that bring together a nation, foster cooperation among states, and inspire the young minds that it is indeed possible to reach the stars. From an idealist perspective like mine, these matter more than 74 million dollars, and without a doubt the returns will be much higher than the investment.
In 2017, ISRO created a record by launching 104 satellites into space on one rocket in one go. This time it was the Times of India to respond.
Image 5. Image Source: Times of India
Let’s sum up this story on that note!
Bibliography
- Amos, Jonathan. “Why India’s Mars Mission Is so Cheap – and Thrilling.” BBC News, BBC, 24 Sept. 2014, bbc.com/news/science-environment-29341850.
- R., Guruprasad. “Illustrated Book on Mars Orbiter Mission.” ISRO, Publications and Public Relations, ISRO Headquarters, www.isro.gov.in/pslv-c25-mars-orbiter-mission/illustrated-book-mars-orbiter-mission.
- Iyer, Geetha. “Dear Mangalyaan: What India’s Mars Mission Means to Me.” Dear Mangalyaan: What India’s Mission to Mars Means to Me, 15 Nov. 2018, www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2018/11/dear-mangalyaan-mars-orbiter-mission-india-space/.
- “MARS ORBITER MISSION.” ISRO, isro.gov.in/pslv-c25-mars-orbiter-mission.
- “Mars Orbiter Mission Spacecraft.” ISRO, isro.gov.in/Spacecraft/mars-orbiter-mission-spacecraft.
- “Planned for Six Months, India’s Mars Mission Mangalyaan Completes Five Years.” The Economic Times, Economic Times, 25 Sept. 2019, economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/planned-for-six-months-indias-mars-mission-mangalyaan-completes-five-years/articleshow/71290073.cms?from=mdr.
https://www.hotstar.com/in/movies/mangalyaan-indias-mission-to-mars/1770005017/watch.
