Chandrayaan-1 before its lift-off

MP Birla Planetarium is planning a special show dedicated to Chandrayaan-1 by the end of 2009, inspired by the interest generated in the city by India’s maiden moon mission.

The planetarium authorities hope the programme will enhance their academic and public outreach initiatives and provide a boost to their existing shows on space and the solar system.

The content of the show will include information released by the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) after it analyses the data collected by Chandrayaan-1.

“Not just the launch, we also want to show the successful working of the scientific instruments as soon as Isro publishes the data,” said Debiprosad Duari, the director (research and academics) of the planetarium.

Duari will soon meet Isro officials for using their findings for the special programme.

The show will present high-resolution pictures of the lunar surface and clear video footage sourced from Isro. The visuals will be described in a language that can be understood by people of all ages and academic backgrounds, Duari said.

“The show will also discuss the next moon mission, Chandrayaan 2, which will place a robotic vehicle on the moon that will analyse its chemical and geological structure,” he added.

The mission has captured the imagination of city students, who have been asking Duari about career opportunities in space science and allied subjects.

“There was a lot of curiosity among students at the Children’s Science Congress in Jorhat earlier this month, as well as at the Haldia Institute of Technology. They didn’t just want to know about the launch but also about what they should study to join the moon mission,” said Duari, who will hold a lecture on the spacecraft’s explorations at BITM on November 4.

Chandrayaan-1 is scheduled to reach its final orbit on November 8, after which it will start mapping the lunar terrain, scanning the surface’s mineral content, searching for sub-surface water and ice in the polar regions and performing a chemical analysis of the moon and its environment.