Over 60 students from across the country witnessed Vikram the lander almost reach the moon early on Saturday morning. They were among the special guests who had the privilege to experience this near- historic moment at the mission control room of the Indian Space Research Organisation in Bengaluru. Among the young viewers was Ribait Phawa, a student from Ramakrishna Mission, Sohra. The Class X student was ecstatic when speaking about the moon lander. The last-minute glitch was heart-breaking but Phawa, like the entire country, is keeping his hopes high. He pens his experience at ISRO for The Shillong Times:
Last night (Friday), we started from the ISRO guest house at 8.45 pm for ISTRAC (ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network). We were all excited to witness the historic soft landing of Chandrayan-2. We were informed not to carry any electronic gadgets. After reaching the control room, we were asked to sit. While sitting there, waiting for the final operation to begin, we saw hundreds of computers being operated by hundreds of scientists. When I saw those things, it really made me feel that one day I would become an ISRO scientist and operate a computer in this control room.
I was very happy and had the great pleasure of getting the opportunity to meet the Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modiji. Everything was going on accordingly and what the scientists anticipated. All were very happy. All were excited and waiting to see the outcome of the country’s historical endeavour in space unfolding before them. But when the connection was lost just before the landing of Vikram at about 3 am and about two km away from the lunar surface, everyone present in the central control room, including me, was worried.
Everyone was thinking what happened exactly. I was extremely upset. I was about to cry when I saw Dr K Sivan (ISRO chairman) weeping and the Prime Minister consoling him. Even though all were upset, Modiji came to us (students) and asked us what we had to say about Mission Chandrayan-2. I answered, “We are hoping for the best sir,” and Modiji said to me, “Thank you, that is a positive hope.”