Indian Astronomy and Space Missions: From Stars to Solar System

Govind Swarup is an eminent Indian radio astronomer who played a significant role in the establishment of the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) in India. He is also known for his contributions to SETI and has been involved in several international collaborations in this field.

The Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) is a large radio telescope located near Pune, Maharashtra, India. It is an array of 30 fully steerable parabolic radio telescopes, each with a diameter of 45 meters. The GMRT is used for observations in the low-frequency range (150-1420 MHz) and has made significant contributions to the study of pulsars, galaxies, and other astronomical objects.

Mangalyaan, also known as the Mars Orbiter Mission, is India's first interplanetary mission. It was launched in 2014 with the primary objective of studying the Martian atmosphere, surface features, and searching for evidence of past or present life on Mars. Mangalyaan successfully entered Mars' orbit in September 2014 and has been providing valuable data about the Red Planet since then.

Tulika Pandey is an Indian astrophysicist who is known for her work on the formation and evolution of planetary systems and her contributions to the understanding of exoplanets. She has made significant contributions to the study of protoplanetary disks, the regions around young stars where planets are formed, and has helped identify several new exoplanets.

Chandrayaan-1 was India's first lunar mission, launched in 2008. Its primary objective was to study the lunar surface, mineralogy, and chemical composition, and to search for evidence of water or other resources on the Moon. Chandrayaan-1 successfully entered lunar orbit in November 2008 and provided valuable data about the Moon's surface and composition.