Mars calling seems to be the in thing this year. Business tycoon and world’s first space tourist, Dennis Tito plans to launch a manned flyby mission to the planet in 2018 and is in search of a couple to fly the 500 day space journey.

Indian space scientists, also want to join the quest to reach the Red Planet in the near future. Going by the 2013 budget presented by Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram on Thursday, the Department of Space has got a shot in the arm for its efforts with an outlay of Rs 168 crore for its Mars Orbiter mission.

Slated for a launch in November when Mars is expected to come closest to Earth, the 15 kg orbiter is getting readied with necessary experiments. ISRO will bet on the tried and tested PSLV (polar satellite launch vehicle) to successfully begin its exploration of the planets from the Sriharikota spaceport.

US, Russia, Japan, China and the European Space Agency have already made headway in the quest to explore Mars, which has attracted human attention for over a century—both science fiction writers to space scientists as it provides the closest environment to supporting life.   

This apart, in 2013 space scientists seem to have set their aims and dreams high in the sky. The successful Chandrayan (Moon mission) has got Rs 78 crore to further its probes, while the Human space flight programme has got Rs 27 crore in the budget.

Space scientists can draw inspiration that its maiden launch in 2013 was bang on. The ISRO’s  `workhorse’, the PSLV, continued its record run with its 22nd success and put a total of seven satellites into orbit last week.

In the bargain, India became the first nation to launch a smartphone into space loaded with a number of experimental applications. UK’s, STRaND-1, one of the spacecrafts launched by PSLV carries the 4.3 kg, 3UCubeSat, which is being termed as the world’s first `Phonesat’, has apps which are serious sciences stuff and also games.

Somasekhar.m@thehindu.co.in  

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