A sari for Mars: Outfit worn by Indian 'rocket woman' at US museum
Summary
Nandini Harinath, an Indian space scientist and deputy operations director for India’s Mars mission Mangalyaan, wore a red and blue silk sari on the critical day the spacecraft left Earth’s orbit in 2013. That same sari is now displayed at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, honoring India’s achievement as one of the few countries to reach Mars.Key Facts
- Nandini Harinath played a key role in India’s Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) as deputy operations director.
- She wore a red and blue silk sari on 1 December 2013, the day the spacecraft left Earth’s orbit.
- Mangalyaan reached Mars orbit successfully on 24 September 2014.
- India became the fourth country or geo-bloc to send a spacecraft to Mars.
- The Smithsonian Museum contacted Nandini in 2020 to request an object symbolizing the mission; she gave them the sari.
- The sari is displayed in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum’s “Futures in Space” gallery.
- The museum notes this is the first sari they have collected for their interplanetary science exhibit.
- The display highlights the role of women scientists at ISRO and the significance of India’s Mars mission.
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