Article Posted on : - Dec 12, 2008

Kerala CM VS Achuthanandan felicitates ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair at a reception given by the state government for the Chandrayaan team in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. PTI Photo

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM (PTI): The Kerala government has felicitated the team of scientists who have made the country’s maiden moon mission Chandrayaan 1 a success story.

The scientists were felicitated at a function organized at the Senate Hall here on Thursday.
Speaking on the occasion, Indian Space Research Organisation chairman G Madhavan Nair said India would strive to build up self-reliance in the field of space programmes.

He also offered support to the project promised by the state government in introducing 'Chandrayaan projects' in schools.
Nair said outsourcing was possible in IT sector but not in science and technology projects.

State Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, who inaugurated the function, said the benefits of moon missions should reach the common man. "There are countries studying the moon in different aspects. We should get the missing links," he said.
State ministers M A Baby, M Vijayakumar, P K Sreemathi, N K Premachandran, K P Rajendran and Opposition Leader Oommen Chandy spoke on the occasion.

Scientists including Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre director K Radhakrishnan and PSLV project director George Koshi were presented with mementos.

Chandrayaan 1 was India first unmanned mission to moon. India launched the spacecraft by a modified version of the PSLV C11 on October 22, 2008 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

The Government has also given its approval for Chandrayaan-2 which would be in orbit by 2012.