India celebrates planting its flag on moon

Congratulations to all Indian and specifically team of ISRO. Tricolour lands on the surface of moon. India rejoiced Saturday at joining an elite club by planting its flag on the moon as the country s space agency released the first pictures of the cratered surface taken by its maiden lunar mission. A probe sent late Friday from the orbiting mother spacecraft took pictures and gathered other data India needs for a future moon landing as it plummeted to a crash-landing at the moon s south pole, said Indian Space Research Organization spokesman B.R. Guruprasad.

The box-shaped probe was painted with India s saffron, white and green flag, sparking celebrations in the country that is striving to become a world power. The saffron-white-green of the Indian flag will adorn the moon from Friday night when the tricolour-painted moon impact probe (MIP) of Chandrayaan-1 lands on its surface to begin a two-year investigation of the earth’s only natural satellite.

 

The 375 mm x 375 mm x 470 mm MIP is a honeycomb structure housing the subsystems and three instruments – radar altimeter, video imaging system and mass spectrometer. It weighs 35 kg.

 

“The MIP’s primary objective is to demonstrate the technologies required for landing the probe at a desired location on the moon, qualify some of the technologies related to future soft landing missions and scientific exploration of the moon from close range,” according to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

picture provided by ISRO          

Obama assures ‘high priority’ to India

US President-elect Barack Obama has assured India that he attached ”high priority” to further strengthening the strategic bilateral ties as top officials of the two sides met here to discuss the global financial crisis, the second high-level contact between them in as many days.

 

Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia, accompanied by the Indian Ambassador to the US Ronen Sen, held talks with former Secretary of State Madeleine

 

Albright and Congressman Jim Leach, who have been nominated by Obama to meet delegations at the G-20 Summit on his behalf. ”There was an exchange of views on issues related to the current international economic and financial crisis, the summit, and also bilateral relations. Secretary Albright, inter alia, conveyed the president-elect attached high priority to further strengthening relations between India and the US,” an Indian embassy statement said.

 

This was the second high-level contact between the two sides since Obama telephoned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday and described the Indo-US strategic relationship as a ”very important partnership.” Ahluwalia, the ’sherpa’ of the Indian delegation at the summit also had a bilateral meeting with his US counterpart Dan Price, US President’s Special Assistant for Economic Affairs.

 

PTI

COME DECEMBER, ITS KANKARIA CARNIVAL

Good morning friends.  as like everybody are celebrating their christmas in their own country, we will also have our kankaria carnival this december.  this has reference to the times of india and i want to share this with you.    AHMEDABAD: Get ready for Kankaria Carnival this winter. It will be a fun-filled seven-day event, with rogrammes catering to all age groups,  including sports, dance programmes and cultural events.   Kankaria Carnival, the week-long cultural extravaganza awaiting Amadavadis will begin with the opening ceremony of ambitious Kankaria Lake Front Development Project (KLFD) starting from December 25. A first-of-its-kind carnival in city will be organised by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) with costing over Rs 50 lakh and will usher city into new year celebrations for year 2009. Standing committee of AMC which met on Friday cleared the proposal for Kankaria Carnival. Chairman, standing committee, AMC, Asit Vora, said, “AMC has planned a week-long event interspersed with different activities, competitions and cultural performnces on the venue.” It will also have display from artisans from different states put up around the ring road of KLFD. “We will be also organising a senior citizen marathon, yoga classes, an impressive display of fireworks, among other activities,” added Vora. KLFD envisions a comprehensive lakefront, set in middle of Ah-medabad, which will stand out as a memorable urban space. Its primary objective is to create an efficient, durable infrastructure that will foster new uses in addition to supporting current day activities. The project cost of KLFD is Rs 30 crore. Development of alternate vehicular ring around KLFD is almost completed. An AMC official said, “Ring road will allow us to have dedicated pedestrian path without any interference from heavy traffic and also a slew of facilities for visitors like an informal market and also a designated parking section for incoming vehicles.” The project cost of KLFD is Rs 30 crore. KLFD involves walkways, cycle tracks, linear gardens, informal sector market and food courts. Its USP will be a mini train imported from UK which will get operational during the celebration.