How Isro’s inflatable ‘barrel’ will help put Indians on Moon and Mars

Dec 1, 2024 | 15:20 IST

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The Hab-1 analog mission in Leh will confine participants to ‘extraterrestrial’ conditions for 30 days, and will help them prepare for the long periods of isolation that are part of an astronaut’s life. Leh's terrain, with hot springs and permafrost, and conditions like low oxygen levels and extreme temperature variations make it ideal for simulation research

It was the summer of ’69 when man touched down on the Moon. Six summers later, Nasa’s Viking 1 spacecraft landed on Mars. But 50 years on, no human has landed on the red planet, and probably won’t before 2040. Meanwhile, human-made objects like Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 have crossed into interstellar space.

Voyager 1 is so far now that if it shone a torch at Earth, the light wouldn’t reach us for 23 hours. Sunlight takes a little over 8 minutes. And Mars, named after the Roman god of war, is only 3 minutes away at the speed of light. So, why is it so hard for us humans to make the little hop to Mars when we’ve clearly had powerful rockets and landers for decades?

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How Isro’s inflatable ‘barrel’ will help put Indians on Moon and Mars

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How Isro’s inflatable ‘barrel’ will help put Indians on Moon and Mars

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