Indian scientists at ISRO created history on 24th September 2014 by becoming the first in the world to successfully deploy a satellite around Mars on their very first attempt at the lowest cost. However, the New York Times published a cartoon that drew a lot of criticism for depicting stereotypes. Indian cartoonist gave one back a month later when a NASA rocket exploded!!
It is interesting to look back at the tremendous progress made by ISRO since its inception in 1969, when even as late as 1980’s, they used bullock carts for transporting their equipment.
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| Photos by ISRO |
ISRO was not without its share of scandals when 2 of its scientists were falsely implicated in a spy scandal in 1994, what many believe to be the handiwork of the US spy agency the CIA and its many moles in the Indian bureaucracy. It is a sordid tale of how the powerful - police, bureaucrats, the media and the politicians will go to any lengths to satisfy their egos and settle scores against one another; and get away with it - even if it means sacrificing the innocent and selling your country. The sad part, none of those guilty of cooking up this tale have been punished to this day.
More on it at the following links,
An account of the ISRO spy scandal by Madhu Kishwar.
An Interview with Mr. Nambi Narayanan, one of the scientists accused of espionage.
A book written by Mr. Rajasekharan Nair on the spy scandal. Makes a great read.
A reference to the ISRO spy scandal is made in this post.
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