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 20080550 - 0650 Hrs(IST).
Coundown is underway and will be telecasted live as well as on web of
http://www.isro.org/ CHANDRAYAAN-1 Live Webcast @ http://www.isro.org/ 22nd Oct
20080550 - 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.


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/ President:'Kutch Science
Foundation'.Founder :'Kutch Amateurs Astronomers Club - Bhuj - Kutch'.Life
Member:'kutch Itihaas Parishad'.kutchscience@...,
kutchscience@...,http://uk.geocities.com/wildlifeofkutch/
http://www.geocities.com/kutchscience
http://profiles.yahoo.com/kutchscience2000http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/scien\
ceclubofindiahttp://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/kutchsciencehttp://in.groups.yahoo\
.com/group/kachchhhttp://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/bhuj
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