14th of July 2023 was a very big day in Indian history. Yes, I was well aware that this was the day when the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) was going to attempt its third lunar mission by launching Chandrayaan 3 into space. I was certainly looking forward to this launch like most Indians.
But my priorities changed somehow, and I ended up in a theatre watching a Tamil movie. Even though I was very mindful of the etiquette to be followed in a theatre, I could not stop glancing at my smartwatch for the latest Twitter updates from ISRO on the launch. Rushed home after the movie and informed my family not to disturb me for the next 2 hours because I was going to catch up with the recorded coverage of the launch. The pre-launch commentary and discussion by various experts in the multiple panels across different channels, were very interesting to watch and as a layman, it certainly gave me a lot of information about the mission.
While watching the program I called Alexa and scheduled a few reminders to alert me in advance for the climax event which was scheduled to happen on the 23rd of August 2023 when the lander named Vikram will be doing a soft landing on the moon. Until then I was keenly watching the news updates about Chandrayaan 3 and the various orbital maneuvers done by ISRO.
Well….on the 23rd of August, the whole nation joined along with me in the hype and fervor surrounding the launch event. Whichever channel I tuned into, I saw nothing but some news and facts about Chandrayaan 3. The countdown to the final hours was intensifying gradually. I secretly whispered to the gods during my morning prayer for a successful mission of Chandrayaan 3 and for a safe landing on the moon.
The pride of India becoming the 4th country in the world to land on the moon, or the first country to touch down on the South Pole of the moon was all secondary to me because I recalled those gripping moments 4 years back in 2019 when Chandrayaan 2 was so close to the moon’s surface but failed to accomplish a soft landing. Felt so sad for the hundreds of brains that had put their heart and soul into that project.
Accolades were anyway knocking at the doors of ISRO even though their 2ndmission to the moon failed way back in 2019. Learning from the failures, ISRO came back even stronger and determined in 2023 to etch the name of India in the Elite Space Club. Only with very limited knowledge in science, I happened to slowly gain some insights on the Chandrayaan 3 project and the most talked about Vikram’s final maneuver for the soft landing. Too much jargon from various channels was a bit overwhelming for my grey cells to grasp, but still enjoyed gaining some little knowledge.
Glued to my TV just a couple of feet away, I was simulating a control room scenario with my laptop streaming LIVE video in full screen and my TV in parallel relaying the same footage in an even bigger screen which was of course broadcasting (DTH) with a couple of seconds delay. My multitasking skills were also put to full test when I was also engaging in some analytical chat (vague isn’t it?) with my friends and families through WhatsApp groups.
My wife could not hold it anymore when I actually got a bit worried in the final moments of the ALS (Automatic Landing Sequence). Yes, the screens from the ISRO control center were showing three important parameters namely the Horizontal and Vertical velocity and the altitude of the lander. The vertical velocity was increasing constantly which I thought was in contradiction to what I heard in one of the channels. I could not resist myself and hence just animatedly expressed this point and this further triggered my wife. She for a moment might have felt proud about her husband being so smart (my assumption) but was equally very vocal in asking me to keep quiet (reality) and not to demean the real scientists who have worked so hard on this project.
I did not stop right there and had the ultimate audacity to verbally express my concern again when I saw the phrase “RE-TARGET” on the screens. My family thought I was casting a negative vibe in the living room and hence warned me to be tight-lipped. Well…seconds later I need not tell what happened.
Yes, there was a big roar, applause, cheers and celebrations not only in my house but the entire nation, and the space fraternity across the world was celebrating the marvelous feat achieved by India and its great scientists. Tears of joy made me a bit speechless and the morale of all the Indians skyrocketed beyond limits when we heard the phrase “India is on the moon”
On 2nd September 2023, India is taking another big leap in Space technology by launching Aditya-L1 to explore the SUN.
All the best India and all the best ISRO.
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