Hi,

Associated Press

NEW DELHI – India readied its first lunar mission on Wednesday, seeking to convert its new wealth into political and military clout and join an elite group of nations with the scientific know-how to reach space.

In the last year Asian nations have taken the lead in exploring the moon: Japan and China both sent up spacecraft last year, and India's Chandrayaan-1 will join them in orbit around the moon for a two-year mission designed to map the lunar surface. Chandrayaan means "Moon Craft" in ancient Sanskrit.

The moon mission comes just months after it finalized a deal with the United States that recognizes India as a nuclear power.

"It is a remarkable technological achievement for the country," said S. Satish, a spokesman for the Indian Space Research Organization, which plans to launch the 3,080-pound satellite from the Sriharikota space center in southern India.

To date only the U.S., Russia, the European Space Agency, Japan and China have sent missions to the moon. The United States is the only nation to have landed a man on the lunar surface, doing so for the first time in 1969.

In 2003, China became the first Asian country to put its own astronauts into space. It followed that last month with its first spacewalk.

More ominously, last year China also blasted an old satellite into oblivion with a land-based anti-satellite missile, the first such test ever conducted by any nation, including the United States and Russia.

The head of India's space agency believes it can quickly catch China, its rival for Asian leadership.

"Compared to China, we are better off in many areas," Indian Space Research Organization chairman G. Madhavan Nair said in an interview with India's Outlook magazine this week, citing India's advanced communication satellites and launch abilities.

India lags only because it has chosen not to focus on the more expensive manned space missions, he said. "But given the funds and necessary approvals we can easily catch up with our neighbor in this area."

The mission is not all about rivalry and prestige. Analysts say India stands to reap valuable rewards from the technology it develops.

"Each nation is doing its own thing to drive its research technology for the well-being of that nation," said Charles Vick, a space analyst for the Washington think tank GlobalSecurity.org.

"Traditionally, for every dollar put into space research, we get that much more back," he said.

India is also collaborating closely with other countries on the mission.

Of the 11 instruments carried by the satellite, five are Indian, three are from the European Space Agency, two from the U.S. and one from Bulgaria.

Among the goals of the $80 million mission are mapping the moon, scanning for mineral deposits under the surface and testing systems for a future moon landing, according to the Indian space agency.

NASA is sending up a Mini Synthetic Aperture Radar that can search for ice — an important resource for any human settlements — under the lunar poles.

India plans to follow up this mission with landing a rover on the moon in 2011 and eventually a manned space program, though this has not been authorized yet.

Vick, the space analyst, said an Indian landing was inevitable.

"Where the unmanned goes, man will ultimately follow," he said.

And the Indian space agency was already dreaming of more.

"Space is the frontier for mankind in the future. If we want to go beyond the moon, we have to go there first," said Satish.

In this undated photo provided by the Indian Space Research Organization, Chandrayaan-1, India's maiden lunar mission, is taken to the launch pad in this undated photo at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, about 100 kilometers (63 miles) north of Chennai, India. India was set to launch its first lunar mission from the center in southern India at 06:20 a.m (0050 GMT) WednesdayOct. 22, 2008, putting the country in an elite group of nations with the scientific know-how to reach the moon, but also heating up a burgeoning Asian space race. The 3,000 pound (1,400 kilogram) satellite Chandrayaan-1 (Moon Craft in ancient Sanskrit) will join Japanese and Chinese crafts currently in orbit around the moon for a two-year mission designed to map out the whole lunar surface.
(AP Photo/ Indian Space Research Organization, HO)


In this undated photo provided by the Indian Space Research Organization, Chandrayaan-1, India's maiden lunar mission, is taken to the launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, about 100 kilometers (63 miles) north of Chennai, India. India was set to launch its first lunar mission from the center in southern India at 06:20 a.m (0050 GMT) Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008, putting the country in an elite group of nations with the scientific know-how to reach the moon, but also heating up a burgeoning Asian space race. The 3,000 pound (1,400 kilogram) satellite Chandrayaan-1 (Moon Craft in ancient Sanskrit) will join Japanese and Chinese crafts currently in orbit around the moon for a two-year mission designed to map out the whole lunar surface.
(AP Photo/ Indian Space Research Organization, HO)


In this undated photo provided by the Indian Space Research Organization, Chandrayaan-1, India's maiden lunar mission, sits on the launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, about 100 kilometers (63 miles) north of Chennai, India. India was set to launch its first lunar mission from the center in southern India at 06:20 a.m (0050 GMT) Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008, putting the country in an elite group of nations with the scientific know-how to reach the moon, but also heating up a burgeoning Asian space race. The 3,000 pound (1,400 kilogram) satellite Chandrayaan-1 (Moon Craft in ancient Sanskrit) will join Japanese and Chinese crafts currently in orbit around the moon for a two-year mission designed to map out the whole lunar surface.
(AP Photo/ Indian Space Research organization, HO)


The PSLV-C11 (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle), Chandrayaan-1 sits on the second launch pad of Satish Dhawan space centre at Sriharikota, about 100 km (62 miles) north of the southern Indian city of Chennai, October 11, 2008. Chandrayaan-1 is India's first mission to moon.
(Babu/Reuters)



The Satellite Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, India's first moon mission craft, at the Indian Space Research Organisation centrer in Bangalore in September 2008. India takes a giant leap Wednesday with the launch of a lunar mission that will boost its space programme into the same league as regional powerhouses Japan and China.
(AFP/File/Dibyangshu Sarkar)



The satellite Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, India's first moon mission craft is seen from behind glass at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) center in Bangalore in September. India began counting down Monday to the launch of an unmanned mission to the moon that will mark a giant catch-up step with Japan and China in the fast-developing Asian space race.
(AFP/File/Dibyangshu Sarkar)


The PSLV-C11 (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle), Chandrayaan-1 sits on the second launch pad of Satish Dhawan space centre at Sriharikota, about 100 km (62 miles) north of the southern Indian city of Chennai, October 11, 2008. Chandrayaan-1 is India's first mission to moon.
REUTERS/Babu (INDIA)

Peace

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=6Vnsb62AKxM

Done

Peace
-=SF-13=-

Originally Posted by SwordFish_13

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=6Vnsb62AKxM

Done

Peace
-=SF-13=-

Given the weather conditions it was a nice launch.

Congrats...

Congratulations.

with chandrayaan's Moon impact probe landing on moon india will be only the fourth country to have a national flag on moon ,after USA,former soviet union and Japan!!
exclusive group of four .
>planting Indian flag is one of the first goals of moon impact probe(MIP).
The government has already approved Chandrayaan 2 mission which will take off in 2011 and after that the next mission is to sent a man in space before 2014.
2020 will be the year when an Indian will set foot on the moon in an indian spacecraft.
a space capsule has already been tested in FEBRUARY was found working pretty well.And most importantly an INDIAN reusable spacecraft has already been introduced in form of a prototype(less people know this) in august this year.
So ISRO has been pretty busy this year ..i guess..lol
even i m thinking to be an Astronaut for India and not for USA.
well it takes a lot to be one but India is becoming a better place for space science aspirants .
and i m pretty happy about it as well as exited !!

Another rare sighting of SF13...

You should come around more, we all miss you!

Hope everything goes well.

Originally Posted by The Other Guy

Another rare sighting of SF13...

You should come around more, we all miss you!

Hope everything goes well.

Getting married

It's great to see more people trying to get to space. Maybe if enough start doing it America will be motivated to get into it again.

Who knew Bulgaria made satellite instruments?

Originally Posted by SwordFish_13

Getting married

Sorry to hear tha-- erm, I mean congratulations!

Good to hear all's well with with you.

Marriage... tell me about it...