Congratulations @isro and all of India! You are there, safely and proudly on the Moon! pic.twitter.com/w3YCcVVDAj
— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) August 23, 2023
BREAKING NEWS: India has successfully landed a spacecraft near the moon's south pole, becoming the fourth country to touch down on the lunar surface. https://t.co/lGLbGnbFpr
— The Associated Press (@AP) August 23, 2023
A brief happy detour from the Predictable Topic. Per Reuters:
An Indian spacecraft became the first to land on the rugged, unexplored south pole of the moon on Wednesday in a mission seen as crucial to lunar exploration and India’s standing as a space power, just days after a similar Russian lander crashed.
“This moment is unforgettable. It is phenomenal. This is a victory cry of a new India,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who waved the Indian flag as he watched the landing from South Africa where he is attending a BRICS summit, a group that joins Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Scientists and officials clapped, cheered and hugged each other as the spacecraft landed and people across India broke out in celebration, setting off firecrackers and dancing in the streets.
“India is on the moon,” said S. Somanath, chief of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as the Chandrayaan-3 landed, making India the fourth nation to successfully land a spacecraft on the moon after the United States, China and the former Soviet Union.
ISRO shared pictures from the spacecraft showing the moon’s surface and the leg and shadow of the lander.
Rough terrain makes a south pole landing difficult, but the region’s ice could supply fuel, oxygen and drinking water for future missions…
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson congratulated the ISRO on the landing.
“And congratulations to India on being the 4th country to successfully soft-land a spacecraft on the Moon,” he said on X, formerly Twitter. “We’re glad to be your partner on this mission!”…
Chandrayaan means “moon vehicle” in Hindi and Sanskrit. In 2019, ISRO’s Chandrayaan-2 mission successfully deployed an orbiter but its lander crashed.
The Chandrayaan-3 is expected to remain functional for two weeks, running a series of experiments including a spectrometer analysis of the mineral composition of the lunar surface…
Cheapest moon mission (The World Ranking):
1. Chandrayaan 3 – 615cr.
2. Luna – 1,650cr.
3. Chang'e – 2,476cr.
4. Apollo – 17,249cr.– ISRO has created history which will be remembered forever…!! 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/Ya9AUbUOq4
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) August 23, 2023
Wednesday Evening Open Thread: Congratulations, India & Chandrayaan-3!Post + Comments (80)