down to its designated circular orbit, 100 kilometers from the moon’s surface. Soon after it entered the moon’s gravitational field on the 8^th of this month the Chairman of the Indian Space Research , (ISRO), Dr. G Nair announced in will not only look for different metals and radioactive elements on the moon’s surface but also ice and a potentially rich source of energy called Helium -3. One wonders, why the satellite took 18 days to reach the moon’s gravitational field though the moon is only about four kilometers away. It was launched on the 22^nd of last month from the Space Centre at on Andhra Pradesh coast with the sophisticated rocket, PSLV-C11. This is because ISRO decided to send the craft via orbital path instead of directly, as it didn’t want to take any risk in its maiden lunar mission. In fact, of the 65 lunar missions so far, quite a few of the Russian Luna series and the US Ranger series of satellites bypassed the moon. 

is surely a big event as it marked said that it’s very encouraging for  even described it as a challenge and called for revitalizing his country’s space program. 

said that every Indian should be proud of this national achievement.  Incidentally, the Indian success comes when the global scientific interest in the moon has begun to revive.  One may recall that after the Apollo missions that ended in 1972 the interest ebbed.  It was rekindled for the first time in September 2003 when European Space Agency launched its lunar mission SMART-1. This was followed by and - in September and October last year. Now, NASA is also planning to send a Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter some time early next year.

and it has an atmosphere. They say, once the lunar base is built, there will be a lot of saving on the earth’s resources for outer space exploration because the spacecrafts will then be refueled using lunar resources.  The President of the International Academy of Astronautics, Dr. Edward C Stone says there are several reasons for the current interest in moon. There is need for knowing what kind of physiological and psychological effects a long lunar stay will have on human body. The knowledge is essential for building a human habitat on the Mars. A long stay will also enable us to know more about the things available there. Besides, it will help us to develop suitable technologies and engineering systems needed to operate in space. Dr. Stone, who is also the chief scientist of Voyager at the NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is very optimistic.  He added that a time would come when we will have technology and a human mission to the Mars will become inevitable. It will surely happen but I can’t tell you when.  Referring to various exploratory missions to the red planet, he further said that the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter with its camera called High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment has already begun the job. It takes photographs of the Martian surface to find out the most interesting place for landing of rovers that would be launched in the coming years.