It is a matter of pride and happiness that India has become one of the very few countries, which have been lucky enough to complete their Mars mission the very first time. There are incidents in history wherein around two thirds of the spacecrafts designed by several countries for the Mars project either failed on their way to Mars or even before the mission started. However, India has become the first country to succeed in its very first Mars mission with the spacecraft, Magalayaan.
Success always brings appreciation and criticism together. Besides the tremendous appreciation this Mars mission is getting world over, some critics think that the Indian Mars mission success is not a great deal. They say the achievement has come too late, as there are a number of countries who have tried their hands on the mission before India. But as it is said, no one remembers the loser but the winner, so India is a winner and this is all what matters.
Innovation involves a great deal of risk, as it is like taking a leap of faith, in which a person does not know as to whether he will pass or fail. It s sometimes imperative to take such risks in life if one wants to achieve the near impossible. India took this leap of faith in its Mars mission and came out as a winner. India being a developing country itself has motivated many other developing countries to do wonders in the field of space science.
The former ISRO chairman, expressing his pride over the success said that India’s success has proved that a lot can be done with limited resources and time, as India succeeded in its first attempt and that too at a cheap price of US $71 million. Three days prior to Indian Mars mission, the US NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) craft entered Mars orbit at cost US$671 million.
The success of Mangalayaan is a big motivation for South Asian countries and many developing countries that can also do wonders in the space science with the limited resources they have. India’s success with the Mangalyaan has encouraged several developed countries to work with India for development of joint projects.
Summary
India’s success in the Mars Orbiter Mission has proved that even the developing countries can also do wonders in space science with their low-cost space missions.
