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India’s first unmanned mission to moon
The unmanned Chandayaan-1 spacecraft blasted off from a launch pad in Sriharikota in southern India, shortly after dawn, Wednesday, as the nation watched on television.
Scientists applauded and hugged each other. The head of the Indian Space Research Organization, G. Madhavan Nair, calls it a perfect launch and says everything is going according to plan.
It was clearly a moment of celebration for scientists in charge of the mission. The Chandrayaan-I, which means Moon Vehicle, is being sent on a two-year mission to orbit the Moon and scan its chemical and mineral composition. A key objective will be to look for water. The spacecraft carries 11 instruments. Five are Indian, three are from the European Space Agency and two from the United States. A gadget from the spacecraft will land on the Moon to pick up some dust for analysis.
This is India’s first space mission beyond the Earth’s orbit. If successful, the $79 million project will be a major step forward for India’s space program.
It is also being seen as an effort by India to catch up with Japan and China, which have already sent unmanned spacecraft to orbit the Moon. In particular, China has been forging ahead in space exploration, putting astronauts in space and carrying out its first spacewalk.
India, too, has drawn up ambitious programs. It plans to send an astronaut into space by 2014 and a manned mission to the Moon by 2020.
India started its first space program in 1963, developing its own satellites and launch vehicles, and has a foot-hold in the multibillion-dollar commercial space-launch business.
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Sachin Tendulkar now holds most run in Test
At 2.31pm, on a hot Mohali Friday, Sachin Tendulkar steered Peter Siddle towards the third-man boundary for three runs to break Brian Lara‘s record for most Test runs. The record stood for nearly two years after Lara played his final Test and it was inevitable that Tendulkar would eventually break it.
This also brought an end to the soap-opera-type frenzied anticipation for the record. Tendulkar was expected to overtake Lara in Sri Lanka recently, but he endured a poor series with the bat, scoring just 95 runs in three Tests. Then in the series-opener in Bangalore, during a stupendous match-saving effort in the second innings, it seemed he would get to the record, but he gifted his wicket when 15 short.
Coincidentally, Lara too achieved the world record against Australia, when he went past Allan Border’s tally of 11,174 runs during the Adelaide Test in 2005. They remain the only three players to cross the 11,000-run mark in Tests. Though it is uncertain how long Tendulkar will prolong his Test career – which has lasted 19 years – the two players who stand the best chance of beating his eventual tally are Rahul Dravid (10,302) and Ponting (10,239).
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Satyam posted 42% increase in Q2 profits
Satyam Computer reported a 42 per cent jump in quarterly net profit, beating expectations, but cut its full-year revenue guidance in dollar terms. Satyam’s consolidated net profit for the quarter ended Sep 30 rose to Rs 581 crore from Rs 409 crore a year ago.
Commenting on the outlook, Satyam Chairman B. Ramalinga Raju said, “the near-term environment remains challenging because of the global slowdown and continued instability, notably in the US banking and financial services sector. Consolidation among financial services companies is also contributing to uncertainty, although it is also creating transformational opportunities.”
Satyam shares were trading 0.31 per cent higher at Rs 273.90 after touching a high of Rs 285.
