Bhubaneswar: To commemorate the day when India became the fourth country to land on the moon and the first to reach its southern polar region, Regional Science Centre (RSC) here is going to organise a week-long celebration to mark National Space Day (NSD). The Chandrayaan-3 mission was successful with the landing of Vikram Lander and the deployment of Pragyan Rover on the lunar surface August 23, 2023. To honour this landmark achievement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the date as NSD. The theme for NSD is ‘Touching lives while touching the Moon: India’s Space Saga’. The celebration at RSC will include a space science exhibition that will provide information about the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and its Moon Missions including space science research and planetary exploration. A hands-on-workshop on telescope-making, with an interactive talk on ‘Cosmic Curiosity: Astronomy, Telescopes and Developing Scientific Temper’ will be conducted by cosmologist Shibesh Kumar. “The activities will enable the participants to get a deeper, comprehensive understanding of space science and technology,” an RSC official said.
The centre will also arrange a large display screen to showcase videos on the evolution of ISRO, the Indian Space Programme and Chandrayaan3 for the visitors. A quiz contest will also be held to inspire students, teachers and general public about space technology and its applications.