City gets a Space Gallery

The Vikram Sarabhai Space Gallery, an initiative for students undertaken by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), was inaugurated at Kakkanad on Saturday.

VSSC director P S Veeraraghavan, who inaugurated the gallery, said that such ventures are necessary owing to the prevalent scientific illiteracy in several countries.

During an interaction with the students, Veeraraghavan said that India will launch several space programmes in the near future. “The country is developing a Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV), which will be cost-effective and yield economic dividends for future space programmes,” he said.

Veeraraghavan added that the space agency will also launch the SARAL satellite, an Indo-French initiative in October-November this year. The country is also planning to put a satellite on Mars’ orbit,” he said.

Veeraraghavan opined that space programmes have benefited sectors like tele-medicine and banking. “It offered support to the food security programme and potable water identification,” he said.

The space gallery aims to acquaint students with the scope and challenges in the field of space science.

It has pavilions displaying the history of science, along with exhibits and artifacts, interactive science kiosks, science play centres, animation theatre and amphitheatre.

Benny Behanan MLA presided over the function. Science Park CEO Indira Rajan, Thrikkakara municipal chairman P I Muhammad Ali, VSSC deputy director J Geetha and municipal councillor Rejimol Mathai attended the function.