Eighteen-hour work days, scanning past ‘failed’ missions and rigorous planning went in for space missions Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan, said K. Radhakrishnan, former Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), while speaking to budding engineers at the IIT Bombay Techfest on Saturday. He said India was a role model for space applications in the world

Dr Radhakrishnan said before starting work on the Chandrayaan mission to the moon, the team studied 51 projects that took the journey to the moon, of which 60 per cent had failed.

He said, “We learnt from them and their mistakes.” ISRO adopted corrective and connective systems. He said it was important to provide autonomy to space craft, not control the ground staff but ensure that the satellite does not take wrong decisions. He added, the space environment was complex and temperature variations must be tapped.

He said the ISRO had robust mission planning and wanted to contribute might for national pride, and required rigorous execution. He said people worked for 18 hours a day and were learning everyday. He added, “The distance between national shame and national fame was very less.” Highlighting the criticism faced by India for the project, he said everyone kept asking why India should it take up the Rs. 450 crore project?