As Delhi’s ambitions in space grow larger, a look back at where it all began. The altar held a sandalwood statue of Mary Magdalene that legend said fishermen had found lying on the beach. She watched, undisturbed, as payloads for rockets were assembled before her in what had been the St. Mary Magdalene Church … and was transformed in the early ’60s into India’s premier rocket launching headquarters. Early Saturday morning, India made an attempt to soft-land on the moon, something only the U.S., Russia and China have accomplished before — and none this close to the lunar South Pole. According to Indian Space Research Organization accounts, the Vikram lander lost communication at an altitude of a little over a mile from the landing site. While official confirmation is yet to come through, it is likely the lander has crashed. The orbiter, with eight payloads, however, will continue to carry out experiments for at least a year. |