Once again my friend and secretary of India chapter of Moon Society, Pradeep Mohandas, has done it and that too at an appropriate time, Thanks Pradeep.
When ``Beyond Moon and Mars (BMM)'' accessed the com on Friday night it had a surprise waiting for it. What was it? Pradeep had e mailed a video link showing Rakesh Sharma inside the Salyut-7 spacecraft in April 1984 along with Russian crewmates..
The brief video now available on Youtube shows Indira Gandhi asking Rakesh how India looked from space and he replied: ``Sare Jahan Se Acha.'' This is a historical footage by doordarshan which put it in public domain last year to mark its 50th anniv. Doordarshan you are changing. Keep it up!
BMM has got the video at a time when the world is about to begin celebrations relating to the 50th anniversary of the first human spaceflight by Yuri Gagarin. The day falls on April 12,2011 and this blog is being written on March 12,2011. In rocket lingo it is T-31 days. This means that exactly 31 days are left for the 50th anniversary of the historic mission. This is almost the final phase of the countdown, and in Mumbai the celebrations will kick off on Monday, March 14,2011, with a photographic exhibition of Gagarin's flight at the Russian consulate.
Coincidentally, Rakesh was a part of a Indo-Soviet joined manned space mission project.
Trust people of Kerala to help. BMM's new friend from Thiruvanathanapuram, Kumar Nair, has e mailed Gagarin stamps. BMM printed the stamps and also photographs from Roscosmos. They will be spiral bound.
For spacebuffs like me, the video and pics are a treasure.
Thank you Pradeep and Kumar.
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