On Monday in Ahmedabad, Vikram Sarabhai Space Exhibition and Museum (VSSEM) at Space Applications Centre SAC was inaugurated by Tapan Misra Director of Space Applications Centre. The exhibition Museum is ultra modern state of the art Museum meant and designed to give a feel of ISRO space programmes to its visitors and mainly student community to take davatage of it. The Museum is installed with a six-storey tall replica of GSLV-MK III rocket, right within the museum premises. It is visible from anywhere in the 3 km periphery. The replica is being manufactured in Bangalore and will be assembled and erected in Ahmedabad by October 20.
The Museum will remain open for public for free on six days except Monday. The two-floor museum is being prepared at the cost of Rs 17 crore. The VSSEM museum is also the first in the country to have its own 3-D theatre. Films on Vikram Sarabhai, APJ Abdul Kalam and other innovations made by ISRO will be screened here.
It has 13 themes prepared in the museum which chronicle the time when ISRO flew sounding rockets from Thumba, a coastal village in Kerala to today’s cutting edge space science — including Chandrayaan Mission, Mars Orbiter Mission and future missions to the moon and the human space programme. There is also a replica of the space suit designed for the human space flight programme.
SAC director Tapan Misra told “We are putting together a mobile museum that will go into far flung villages not only in Gujarat, but neighboring states as well. We have also called for an inflatable dome which will be erected to show the night sky to children in villages. It will have a planetarium experience. We want students from rural and cities to take benefit of this exhibition. Quoting about Edusat application, director said that with advent of technology, students from remote areas are now in a position to pose question to teachers and get their answers. We are working towards simplification of space technology and its societal benefits. He made mention of Prime Minister’s vision to enhance reach of space technology to common people.
Talking of different streams of science, director added that every aspect of science is important. student can learn whichever topic he is interested he can take up. We have brought satellite technology to every house, which helps you keepup with news and entertainment.
Briefing about future projects, Tapan Misra said that next year we will be launching Cartosat 2C, then we have ScatSat-2 which is again interesting scientific mission, then we have RISAT satellite. Every year we launch 3 to 4 communication satellite. GSAT-11 is slated for future launch.
