A Special Place Under The Sun, And Moon!

Even as the scientists and staff at Mission Operations Complex broke into applause, the core team members thanked all those who had worked on the mission.
Quietly and without jingoistic boasting of their stupendous achievement.
And that is the most remarkable aspect of ISRO -- they let their work do the talking, notes Minnie Vaid, author of Those Magnificent Women And Their Flying Machines, ISRO's Mission to Mars.

It happens only at ISRO.

A response that is inclusive and dignified, restrained yet underlining immense satisfaction over a job well done.

Seconds after the path-breaking landing of the Vikram lander on 'the dark side of the moon', ISRO Chairman S Somanath walked up to the podium to confirm the news of the success of Chandrayaan-3 and immediately thanked the entire team who worked on this, the third moon mission in Indian history.

Even as the scientists and staff at Mission Operations Complex or MOX, at ISTRAAC (ISRO Telemetry and Command network) where the lander's descent was monitored, broke into spontaneous applause, the core team members in turn thanked all those who had worked on the mission. Quietly and without jingoistic boasting of their stupendous achievement.

And that is the most remarkable aspect of ISRO -- they let their work do the talking.

And they share all the credit, knowing better than anyone that only teamwork along with patient, sustained efforts over lengthy timeframes (in this case four years after Chandrayaan- 2's aborted landing in 2019) culminates into this moment of triumph.

A public acknowledgement of all the hard work done behind the scenes.

So while the rest of us -- the millions of viewers glued to the television screen -- clapped and cheered at the highest possible decibel, ISRO scientists on the Chandrayaan-3 podium, outlined the next goalpost, Aditya L1, a mission to study the sun, in the first week of September.

I watched the last 17 minutes of the lander's descent, finding them as terrifying as they had been dubbed -- perhaps more so since I do not possess the 'nerves of steel' that is an essential pre-requisite for a space scientist!

Anxiously scanning the television screen for a glimpse of Nandini Harinath and Ritu Karidhal, the two main women scientists featured in my 2019 book Those Magnificent Women And Their Flying Machines, ISRO's Mission to Mars, I can't help recalling a similar feeling during the same lander's fine braking phase during Chandrayaan-2 on September 7, 2019.

Ritu Karidhal, one of the main protagonists of my book and someone I spent considerable time with during the primary research interviews in 2017, was mission director, while Vanitha M was the project director.

It was women's power of the highest degree.

Despite the heartbreak of the aborted landing at that time, the image that stayed with me for the next four years was of a calm and composed Ritu quietly giving commands over the microphone.

On August 23 this year that image was replaced with an abundance of joyous smiles after Vikram's flawless landing on the moon.

I felt as if I too had passed an exam!

When Kalpana K, deputy project director, Chandrayaan-3 walked up to share the dais and the world's attention I did feel a pang for Ritu -- this could have been her moment four years ago. But space science while being extremely precise with specific outcomes, can also throw up unexpected challenges.

In any case, ISRO was and is all about teamwork as had been repeatedly dinned into me during all the months of interviews with Ritu, Nandini, T K Anuradha, Seetha Somasundaram, N Valarmathi and 16 other women scientists at Isro centers in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad.

For over a year I entered the work and home spaces of these women, awestruck by the high pressure, 'no-room-for-error' and demanding lives they all led, with such seeming ease and confidence.

The juggling of their multiple roles, the 'adjustments' and regular 'balancing acts', the high standards they set for themselves were an eye-opener.

As was the fervent declaration almost all of them made to me in our sessions, 'Don't call us women scientists, we are all scientists!'

Inter-planetary missions come with the most exacting expectations and Isro adds economy, low-key profiles, and impossible timelines to the mix.

This was true of the Mangalyaan mission as shared by Ritu, Nandini and others who worked in various departments and cities and it was true of Chandrayaan 2 and 3.

Isro notched up several firsts this Wednesday also but for me the acknowledgement and limelight shone on a hundred women scientists in the mission remains Chandrayaan 3's crowning glory.

And even though I have once again highlighted their success as 'women scientists' I still feel that all these women are exemplary role models for young girls; visible, shining icons for future mission/project directors who will conquer unknown galaxies in the universe.

And as such they merit their own special place under the sun and the moon!

Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com