MUMBAI: Hindi has touched down on Mars thanks to Perseverance, which landed on the Red Planet on February 18/19. This is in addition to the 12 desis who are part of the mission, giving the groundbreaking project an added Indian zing.
According to the US-based Planetary Society, on the outer edge of an instrument known as the calibration target aboard Perseverance, there is an inspirational message in Hindi among other languages which says: “Khoj Ki Khushi” (the joy of discovery). A calibration target is used by scientists to fine-tune instruments using materials with known properties.
The message reads: “Are we alone? We came here to look for signs of life, and to collect samples of Mars for study on Earth. To those who follow, we wish a safe journey and the joy of discovery”. The phrase “joy of discovery” then repeats in Mandarin, Hindi, Spanish, and Arabic, according to the Society.
The Planetary Society, founded in 1980 by Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray and Louis Friedman, helped to design the calibration target as part of its education and public outreach project. The Society is the largest space interest group in the world.
This apart, the Society hosted a virtual global watch part on February 18 to commemorate the landing of Perseverance with several special guests including Bill Nye, known as the science guy and the CEO of the society. The watch party was shown on The Planetary Society’s Youtube, Facebook and planetary.org/watch party and the live captioning was in Hindi among other languages.