Dear Friends of the SPACE, Science and ASTRONOMY.

'We all wish all the sucess of the MOON mission'.

Indian Space agency is ready to launch a Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft to the
MOON on Wednesday morning 22nd Oct 2008
0550 - 0650 Hrs(IST). Coundown is underway and will be telecasted live
as well as on web of http://www.isro.org/ <http://www.isro.org/>

CHANDRAYAAN-1
Live Webcast @ http://www.isro.org/ <http://www.isro.org/>
22nd Oct 2008
0550 - 0650 Hrs(IST)

NEW DELHI Amid its first economic slowdown in three years, India is
getting ready to shoot the moon.
On Wednesday, the country is scheduled to launch its first unmanned moon
mission, when lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-1 blasts into space aboard an
Indian-made rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in the country's
south.


India's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, under wraps in Sriharikota, will carry
payloads for five other countries on its two-year lunar-orbit mission.
[Orbiter Puts India Into Space Race] The launch will put India into an
Asian space race, which last year saw Japan and China launch lunar
orbiters. Sites in those countries are regularly used for launching
commercial satellites.
The Chandrayaan-1 mission is the Indian Space and Research
Organization's first attempt to propel a spacecraft beyond the Earth's
atmosphere, although India has been launching suborbital satellites
since 1975. About 1,000 scientists and engineers have worked on the
lunar project for four years.
The $80 million two-year mission -- during which the Chandrayaan-1
spacecraft is expected to orbit about 60 miles from the lunar surface --
will conduct a series of experiments on the moon's mineral, geological
and chemical characteristics, as well as searching for evidence of water
on the lunar surface.
Chandrayaan-1 is carrying payloads for 11 scientific experiments,
including five from India, two from the U.S. space agency, NASA, and one
each from Germany, Britain, Sweden and Bulgaria.
A successful launch will make India the third Asian nation to place a
satellite in lunar orbit. China's Chaang'e I lunar satellite was
launched in October 2007, after Japan launched its Kaguya lunar orbiter
in September.
India's space program has its critics. Some argue that the Indian
government is spending millions on space exploration while ignoring
poverty at home, where per capita income is less than $1,000 a year,
public health and education services are poor, and rising food and fuel
prices are pinching citizens.
It also comes at a time when India's booming economic growth has begun
to slow amid the global financial crisis. Inflation-adjusted growth in
gross domestic product fell to 7.9% in the quarter ended June 30,
falling below 8% for the first time in three years.
C.S. Unnikrishnan, a scientist with the Tata Institute of Fundamental
Research, in Mumbai, says that the lunar mission is driven by ISRO's
desire to promote its business arm. 'This mission will only project ISRO
as a major player in commercial launch systems,' he said.
ISRO has launched satellites for customers from Germany, Belgium,
Indonesia and Argentina since 2001. The global marketing wing of ISRO,
Bangalore-based Antrix Corp. had revenue of $192 million in the year
ended March 31. Antrix says the 'ISRO launch services are economical
compared to other Asian competitors.'
The lunar mission is strongly supported by India's Congress-led
government and even the country's nationalistic leftist party leaders.
'Opposing the mission would be demoralizing for our scientific
community,' says Atul Kumar Anjaan, national secretary of the Communist
Party of India. 'Such projects are a national pride and involve years of
innovation.'

Forwarded By yours Dr.BHUDIA-Science Group Of INDIA.
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/venustransit_2004/
<http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/venustransit_2004/>
President:'Kutch Science Foundation'.
Founder :'Kutch Amateurs Astronomers Club - Bhuj - Kutch'.
Life Member:'kutch Itihaas Parishad'.
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