“It has a huge symbolic value apart from being a tremendous scientific achievement,” said Mylswamy Annadurai, mission director of Chandrayaan-I. “We are literally over the moon,” he told The Indian Express. “But there is still a lot of science left in Chandrayaan. The real scientific experiments start now.” The spacecraft, which is now left with 10 payloads, will continue in its present circular orbit for the next two years and carry out a variety of scientific experiments. These include testing the possibility of presence of water on the moon’s surface, mineral mapping of the lunar terrain and details about the presence of Helium-3.
If the sense of joy at ISRO’s Telemetry Tracking and Command Centre was overwhelming, so was the tension as the clock pushed past 8 pm. Giant screens across the room streamed in various health parameters for the probe — including temperatures and data transfer rate.
Former President A P J Abdul Kalam, who had proposed the idea of landing a probe on the moon when ISRO had been hesitant, was present, next to Nair.
At 8.06 pm, the command centre transmitted orders to the spacecraft to initiate the process of separating the probe. Within 10 minutes, smiles began appearing around the room as the first signs came in of the MIP being on course to putting the Indian flag on the moon’s surface.
Wild catch... A crocodile bites a zebra's head as it crosses the Mara river in the Masai Mara game reserve in Kenya on Thursday. Reuters
Yuvraj Singh, seen pulling Steve Harmison, pulverised England in the first one-dayer in Rajkot on Friday to power India to a 158-run victory. Reuters
Braving the slight chill, thousands turned up for the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon on Sunday morning। It was a riot of colours as runners, both young and old, raced together to make the event a memorable experience
The German woman, who charged that her minor daughter had been raped by Goa education minister Atanasio Monserrate’s son, Rohit, and also sexually abused by PWD minister Churchill Alemao’s nephew, Warren, on Sunday wrote a letter to the police। While the police are not revealing its contents, there is speculation based on information from police sources that she has written seeking withdrawal of her complaint। Confirming that she had sent a letter to the Calangute police seeking to withdraw her complaint, the woman’s counsel, Aires Rodrigues, said, ‘‘She is upset because the system is treating her and her daughter as the accused. They don’t want another unnatural death, as in the case of British teenager Scarlett Keeling. That’s why she wants to withdraw the complaint.’’ Aires said he would meet the governor on Monday. German consul general Walter Stechel, currently in Goa, was surprised by the development. ‘‘I am not aware of this. What is important for us is that a German kid has been affected and we have to help all German citizens in India. We had been informed about the FIR and the circumstances of the case,’’ said Stechel, who met governor S S Sidhu on Sunday. Making it clear that the German consulate won’t interfere with the police probe, Stechel said, ‘‘We are following the case and are concerned about two things. First, security is assured to the mother as well as the minor. Second, the police and judiciary take necessary action.’’ Although police refused to divulge details, sources said the German woman had sent a letter to the police, stating that ever since the rape and sexual assault case had been registered, she was being harassed. She has also reportedly said that Goa is not a nice place to live in anymore. According to the sources, the mother has refused to cooperate with the probe and even refused to hand over the computer hard disk in which Rohit’s messages are allegedly saved. ‘‘Despite police security given to the mother and daughter, they aren’t staying in their house in Saligao and not helping in the investigations,’’ added the sources. Monserrate said, ‘‘This is a ploy to ensure that my son doesn’t get bail.’’ Rohit’s bail application will be heard by the Children’s Court president on Monday.