ISRO releases book on Indian Space Programme

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) today released a book on Indian Space Programme "From Fishing Hamlet to Red Planet" to commemorate second anniversary of Mars Orbiter Spacecraft launch.
On the second anniversary of the launch of the spacecraft, a technical meet was organised today at Mission Operations Complex, the location of Spacecraft Control Centre in the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), Bangalore, ISRO said in a release.
It said the meet deliberated on the mission challenges during the past one year of spacecraft operations around Mars and also on the data received from the five payloads of the spacecraft.

ISRO had launched the Mars Orbiter Mission's spacecraft on its nine-month long odyssey on a homegrown PSLV rocket from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on November 5, 2013.
Mars Orbiter Spacecraft has successfully completed one year in orbit around Mars on September 24, 2015. ISRO had released the Mars Atlas to mark the feat of the Orbiter whose life is now expected to last many more years.
ISRO said on the occasion of the second anniversary of the launch of Mars Orbiter Spacecraft, a book "From Fishing Hamlet to Red Planet" was released by Prof U R Rao, Chairman, PRL Council and Former Chairman, ISRO, in the presence of A S Kiran Kumar, Chairman, ISRO, Dr K Radhakrishnan, Former Chairman, ISRO and many distinguished dignitaries of ISRO.

This comprehensive compendium traces the evolution of India's satellite, launch vehicle and application programmes from a historical perspective, it added.

Chief Editor of the book is P V Manoranjan Rao, and its Associate Editors are B N Suresh and V P Balagangadharan, all retired ISRO Scientists.
Speaking on the occasion, Kiran Kumar said the book places on record the innovative approach adopted by ISRO right from the beginning to develop space technologies for national development.
He also stressed the need for ISRO to shoulder new responsibilities in the contemporary times.