Mangalyaan: ISRO's Mars Orbiter Mission

[member_28108]

Yeah, it can't be 7.3 km since perigee itself is 365 km. It's a pretty good pic for 7300 km.

Periapsis or periareion-not perigee Nice to be able to correct the inadvertant error

[partha]

^
Right. Perigee for Earth.

[csaurabh]

There are multiple reasons why IITians don't join ISRO and why ISRO doesn't recruit IITians. I know this because I have seen this closely and from both sides of the story.

Why is that? Post your reply in Nukkad if you wish to.

Answered in nukkad.

[Yagnasri]

This is best example of Make in India Lion.

[abhischekcc]

some cool pics here [not our mom's ]
http://news.discovery.com/space/indias- ... 140924.htm

how could this have possibly happened?

Asteroid strike at low angle.

[SaraLax]

I see no discussion about the imminent arrival of comet Siding Spring and its potential impact on MOM... Any nuggets on this?

The ISRO chairman already gave some info on this in a certain interview. If you can search for it - it should be obtainable.

[SaraLax]

.
.
No sooner the news about the successful entry of the satellite, students, and science teachers of Jegan Matha Matriculation Higher Secondary School in K.K. Nagar ( at Tiruchirapalli, TN ) in the city congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation.

Standing around a Rangoli painting depicting the satellite entering the Mars planet, students of classes 6, 7, and 9 expressed their joy and pleasure on the occasion.

“We have been closely following-up the progress of the satellite right from its launch a year ago,” says E. Krithika, a science teacher who has been guiding the students on the significance of the space science in general and the Mangalyaan in particular.
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[vinod]

India reaches the Red Planet! So why is Britain giving £1BILLION in aid to a nation that can afford a mission to Mars?


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ssion.html

Somebody even claimed Mangalyaan was funded with Br1sh1t tax dollars.

Reading some articles, I felt they were trying to make it look a India-China race.. and India got one up! I actually feel, we got one up over europeans as well, since we got it right first time!!

[ArmenT]

I actually feel, we got one up over europeans as well, since we got it right first time!!

Actually, the Europeans got it correct the first time too. Mars Express was the European Space Agency's (ESA) first attempt at an interplanetary mission and it did get into the correct orbit as well (back in early 2004). It consisted of two parts, an orbiter and a lander module. The lander module (Beagle) failed, but the Mars orbiter worked perfectly and continued to send data for many years and is still operational as of 2014.

Of course, ESA is not from a single country, therefore India is still the first country to get a Mars mission correct on the first try.

[member_20317]

I think based on the Wiki lists, if we ignore Flybys then Mariner 9 can be classified as a possible success in 1971.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_missions_to_Mars

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariner_9

[dinesha]

Mars Mission not about being cheap : The mission's success is being sold the wrong way
Business Standard Editorial
http://www.business-standard.com/articl ... 396_1.html

It is a stunning achievement for the Indian Space Research Organisation, or Isro, to have got the Mars Orbiter Mission, or MOM, successfully into orbit at its first attempt. In the process, the space agency performed a sequence of formidably difficult tasks. First, it calculated and executed a complex slingshot trajectory where the craft swung around the Earth several times in order to generate speed by using the planetary gravity field. Then, Isro had to wake up long-dormant systems and engines, and program a delicate series of remote manoeuvre to be performed autonomously while the craft operated off battery power on the dark side of Mars. Given a radio lag of 12 minutes, the apparently seamless command of telemetry it is now displaying is, in itself, remarkable.

However, too much is being made of the mission being performed on a shoestring. First, accounting standards are not the same across agencies such as Isro and, say, the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration. If the same standards were applied, the Mars orbiter would have cost much more than the stated Rs 450 crore, since the salaries of dedicated personnel, and other such costs, would have been attributed to the mission. However, it is undoubtedly true that the MOM did cost less than any previous mission to Mars. Also, to some extent, Isro learnt from the failures of prior Mars missions by other agencies. It knew some of the mistakes it had to avoid and that helped in getting things right at first go.

But the "cheapness" was forced upon Isro because of earlier failures. The smaller, older Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) had to be deployed, rather than the more powerful Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), because Isro had failed to stabilise the GSLV's cryogenic technology in time to launch into a favourable Earth-Mars window. The payload for the Mars orbiter had to be considerably reduced as a result. The trajectory also became more complicated because the PSLV lacks the power to take a more direct route. A GSLV-based Mars mission would have cost more. But it could have carried a much bigger payload, and it could have reached Mars faster. This is significant, given Isro's desire to break into the big league in terms of satellite launches. The commercial market is interested in big satellites with larger payloads. The GSLV can put 2,500-kg satellites into the geosynchronous orbit. The commercial market is often interested in above 3,000-kg ones. So Isro needs to scale up these capabilities. Selling the mission as "cheap" only draws attention to the things that Isro has not yet done.

Remember, also, the next stage of the mission has just begun. More than just the results of five scientific experiments, the robustness of equipment design and the data-gathering will be crucial; experience will drive planning for the second Isro lunar mission, Chandrayaan II. The pay-offs in the commercial satellite market will be big, with the proviso that Isro must scale up. But above all, this mission provides inspiration. It raises the profile of space technologies, and it raises India's profile in those domains. More bright young Indians will now be interested in that area. That pay-off is long-term, and it cannot be easily quantified. But it is huge.

[Comer]

Beagle, it must be stressed was done by Brits in a shoestring budget since all the money was being sent as aid to India

[svinayak]

India Releases Blurry Image of Giant Mars Craters

Check the comments.
The comments are better by younger Indians and more balanced

[Amber G.]

For those who do not look at Mars everyday..

It is Syrtis Major ! (Added later (Syrtis Majo Planum)

This is the first documented surface feature of Mars. (or for any planet for that matter). Huygens made a drawing of it in 1600's

The feature was used by him to measure length of day on Mars. (To see how long it takes before you see it again).
The feature can be seen from earth from even a very small telescope.

Good choice of ISRO as its first picture. to be released...

(One way to recognize it, if you bring out your telescope is that it has distinctive dark color in a stark contrast to general red-brown of Mars)


Here is from wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrtis_Major_Planum



***:)

Are any ddm's reporting this ?
From Wiki:

It (the dark spot) was discovered, on the basis of data from Mars Global Surveyor, to be a low-relief shield volcano, but was formerly believed to be a plain, and was then known as Syrtis Major Planitia. The dark color comes from the basaltic volcanic rock of the region and the relative lack of dust

[SaiK]

Asteroid strike at low angle.

I'll go with S^3's answer on this.

btw, where is (link) the blurry image [in its full form]?



ps:
okay, here it is from the twitter



one can clearly see blurry more (on the right bottom/darker area) assuming it is taken from perigee!

[RonyKJ]

But the "cheapness" was forced upon Isro because of earlier failures. The smaller, older Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) had to be deployed, rather than the more powerful Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), because Isro had failed to stabilise the GSLV's cryogenic technology in time to launch into a favourable Earth-Mars window. The payload for the Mars orbiter had to be considerably reduced as a result. The trajectory also became more complicated because the PSLV lacks the power to take a more direct route. A GSLV-based Mars mission would have cost more. But it could have carried a much bigger payload, and it could have reached Mars faster

While it is true that the GSLV has been delayed and that it would have been the first choice for a mission to Mars, it is much better that it happened the way it did, with the PSLV. Using an unproven launch vehicle like the GSLV could have jeopardised the Mars mission. The Mars mission is more about demonstrating the capability to reach the destination and get into orbit. To do serious science, one would have to land a rover like NASA is doing now. I don't think ISRO is ready for that yet. ISRO needs to initiate programs that will develop the complete technology for humans to live on Mars and all that can be done on earth while waiting for launch vehicles to be proven. Since any Mars habitation program will be done in multiple stages, ISRO can use some of the developmental flights of GSLV to launch these Mars habitation modules and get them going.

[svinayak]

Mars mission opens India for space business

In proving it can pull off a complex space mission, India becomes one of the world's few reliable ferrymen to the stars. That can attract investors, commercial launch orders and customers to hire Indian rockets and satellites for their scientific research.

India's credibility also gets a huge boost, he said. "These kinds of successes put India in a better bargaining position, reassuring investors that we can perform."

The country's business sector applauded the mission, with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry saying "it will encourage Indian industry to invest in the research and innovation."

India's success shows the world that "they are now a force of capability ... that can be taken very seriously," said space expert Roger Franzen, the technical program manager at the Australian National University's Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics.
"India has an extremely well-developed space industry that manufactures everything from the components to the spacecraft to the instrumentation to the launch vessels," he said.
In the realm of scientific space research, India also could soon join in collaborative missions with NASA or ESA, he suggested.

[Amber G.]

some cool pics here [not our mom's ]
http://news.discovery.com/space/indias- ... 140924.htm

how could this have possibly happened?

Asteroid strike at low angle.

BTW, Believe it or not, this the same location of the first picture of Mars released ...

(These are bright streaks in Syrtis Major caused by the wind, as seen by Themis)

Wow!.

[SaiK]

is that your deduction?

[Amber G.]

Wow --- a quick google search revels that no main stream media is reporting the fact that picture is Syrtis Major ...Do those editors don't know even the basic features on Mars unless pointed out by some non-experts like us?

[SaiK]

if the target of the photo is known, then we can draw a better picture (precise) of the orbit.

[Amber G.]

is that your deduction?

(If you are talking about the picture you posted, you should be able to confirm if my deduction is correct or not..
Just google "Syrtis Major Themis" or something like that... and match the images..

[SaiK]

let us analyze this:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... _MC-13.jpg

ps: at first look this pic does not provide similar patterns.. may be we need some other pic to compare

[svinayak]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-29357472

"The women were leading the applause when the good news arrived. They were celebrating more than men. Who said men are from Mars and women are from Venus?" says senior science journalist Pallava Bagla, who was present in the control room.

The picture - which brightened up my manic morning writing up the Mars mission story - went viral and became the event's image of the day.

People in their thousands tweeted that they loved it. One said "when was the last time you saw women scientists celebrate a space mission?"; another that the women showed "we don't need to wear labcoats". Others said the scientists in saris had "redefined mission control" and called them "true role models".

The chatter even veered into the contentious Indian debate about tradition and modernity.

Look at our rocket scientists, said one tweet, when women working in call centres think that wearing jeans "makes them modern and scientific". Somebody wondered why "no matter how much women succeed/achieve, the focus ultimately is on what they are wearing?" That, another respondent tweeted, is "because we have newspapers telling us that smart career women don't wear saris only western business suits!".

Although we do not know for sure whether all the women in this picture are engineers or scientists, they all probably work with India's space agency. Some 20% of Isro's 14,246 employees are women and their numbers are growing.

Nandini Harinath, 44, a physicist and a mother of two, was the deputy operations director of the Mars mission - in other words, she was the person "operating" the spacecraft between Earth and Mars. "It's easier to bring up children than to control the Mars orbiter," she told the NDTV news channel. Minal Sampath and her team built three instruments for the spacecraft and she wants to become "the first woman director of a space centre".

[Amber G.]

if the target of the photo is known, then we can draw a better picture (precise) of the orbit.

Yes, but more likely since orbit is known very precisely known, one can map the target more precisely . This is how routine mapping is done. (Think of GPS system in the car - the location of GPS is precisely calculated because the locations of satellites are precisely known..)

[CRamS]

They released a photo from 7300KM away for the sake of releasing something is what I feel. I hope all izz well with the high resolution images we are supposed to be getting. This delay is making me nervous.

DilbuJi, I am not expert at this, but what is wrong with that picture and what are nervous about? AmberJi (viewtopic.php?p=1722601#p1722601) even commented and highlighted what part of Mars that picture came from. So once again, what are you nervous about?

[SaiK]

amber ji, bow my head!

moorkh onlee me
--
PS:
I take it as: [Since, you knew the precise orbit, you knew it was syrtis major]

[member_23658]

2nd photos up
cheecky comments , loving the sense of humour

ISRO's Mars Orbiter @MarsOrbiter · 37m
A shot of Martian atmosphere. I'm getting better at it. No pressure

[Amber G.]

Wow --- a quick google search revels that no main stream media is reporting the fact that picture is Syrtis Major ...Do those editors don't know even the basic features on Mars unless pointed out by some non-experts like us?

Only News source I seem to see, which talks about Syrtis Major, is this:
Mangalyaan envoie sa première image de Mars

La photo semble un peu floue. Elle n'est pas non plus très résolue. Mais elle est historique. Car elle a été prise ce 25 septembre 2014 par la sonde indienne Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), aussi appelée Mangalyaan. L'Inde devient ainsi, après les Etats-Unis, la Russie et l'Europe, la troisième puissance spatiale à satelliser un engin autour de la planète rouge. Un bel exploit technique.

L'image, qui la surface martienne sur environ 850 km de côté, montre une partie de la région Syrtis Major. Le cratère doté d'un pic central qui est visible presque au centre de la photo se nomme Fournier. Il mesure environ 120 km de diamètre. Les stries blanches visibles sur les terrains sombres sont des structures dues aux vents dominants qui soufflent depuis le bassin d'Isidis, situé plus au nord, hors du champ, vers le bas de l'image.

Philippe Henarejos, le 25 septembre 2014.

La région martienne de Syrtis Major, par la sonde indienne MOM.

[SaiK]

this is the hi res.. mmm

[Amber G.]

let us analyze this:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... _MC-13.jpg

ps: at first look this pic does not provide similar patterns.. may be we need some other pic to compare

Please check this out http://themis.mars.asu.edu/feature/37
It may answer all your questions.. for example:

Bouncing Bits

The summit of Syrtis Major, despite its low altitude, is one of the less dust-covered places on Mars overall. Winds from the northeast have swept across the volcano, leaving streaks to mark their direction. Downwind from many craters lie bright tails of dust which accumulated in the craters' wind-shadow.

Wind-shadows form when the upthrust crater rim causes the airflow to become turbulent. The result is a slackening of wind in the zone directly behind the crater. Any airborne dust that drifts into the shadow zone has a good chance of settling out of suspension onto the ground.

Away from the shadow zones, winds can drive larger particles (sand, for example) to bounce across the ground. When sand particles land, they typically knock the smaller dust particles loose from the surface and they are carried off by the wind.

But the bouncing sand grains don't fly downwind forever: If the wind slackens, they'll pile up, depositing the raw materials for making dunes, just as happens in desert regions on Earth.

[Amber G.]

Since, you knew the precise orbit, you knew it was syrtis major]

No, there are only a few sites on Mars, which I can recognize..(it's like seeing Taj and recognizing that it is Agra/India)

[RamaY]

That 1st Mangalyan pic looks like a 3D image without 3D glasses.

[saip]

Ah, shoot. MOM forgot her glasses!

[SaiK]

glasses are for you saip, not for mom.

[Hemanth]

The 2nd pic is lovely. Blackness of space, Martian disc and the thin atmosphere.. !

Most of the media seems enjoying the light-hearted tweets.

e.g.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/09/25/mangalyaan_first_mars_surface_picture/

[member_28468]

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/441 ... ion-in-aid
Comments are killer

[Amber G.]

For Perspective, The Mars Color Camera has multi-element lens assembly and a 2K x 2K-pixel array detector (with RGB filter etc)

- At periapsis, typically it is 50 by 50-Kilometer frame a resolution of 25 meters
- At apoapsis, -with wide field it is 8,000 by 8,000 Kilometers.

The first photo posted here was from an altitude of 7,300 Kilometers with in i resolution of 376 meters.

[SSSalvi]

In the din of MOM image we forgot about MAVEN. Here is a 1st ' image '




Actually MAVEN does not have a camera in a real sense that takes images. This a UV spectrograph in different UV frequency bands. 121.6nm ,130.4nm, wideband detector ( 180-340nm ).
1st band gives Hydrogen presence ( Blue image )
2nd band ( indirectly ) infers Oxygen ( Green image )
3rd is ice or cloud. ( Red image )

These three were combined in the right side image.

[shiv]

It will be 72 hours before Mangalyaan settles in - as per news released soon after the orbital insertion.