#467 - Mangalyaan : A Journey to Mars
by Nikhil Gulati
“Mangalyaan : A Journey to Mars” by Nikhil Gulati. Published by Pratham. An interesting book that explains the momentous space mission of India to Mars a decade ago.
Mars has always captivated the imagination of us humans. There has always been speculation regarding the presence of life on Mars. The red shining star like object in the sky that can be seen on clear nights is Mars. It is the nearest planet for earth. Though it seems deceivingly reachable, the distance is quite huge. It takes quite a bit of time and therefore fuel to reach there making it an expensive affair.
The scientists of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) decided to try a creative solution to reduce the expense. What is the solution? How does it work? All of this has been explained in a simple and engaging manner with the help of analogies and detailed step by step illustrations. Basic concepts such as gravity and orbit have also been explained. Read this book to get a detailed account of how the whole mission was executed.
Given the ongoing excitement about India’s Chandrayaan 3 mission to the moon, I recently read this book with my nine year old son. He was curious to know how the scientists at ISRO came up with an effective solution to send a spaceship to Mars. We loved the way in which the approach has been explained so effectively in a detailed manner using such simple and effective terms. The beautiful illustrations showing each of the steps in detail are just fascinating. The colour palettes used create a magical effect. The book includes an actual photograph that has been taken by Mangalyaan. The narrative is by a woman who we felt represented a scientist from ISRO. I had bought the book two years ago and kept it aside as I thought it would be too much for my son to understand. This time it worked well for him and he could grasp the concepts easily enough. The book is a treat for all those who are curious about space. Thank you Vidya Mani of Funky Rainbow and Apoorva Ashok for recommending this lovely book!
Recommended Age
This is a level 4 book and apt for children aged 8 and above.
Reasons to Read
For the love of space and to know how Mangalyaan worked.
Where to read/buy from?