MUMBAI: Hindi has hit the ground March thank you at Perseverance, which landed on the Red Planet on February 18/19. This is in addition to the 12 desis that are part of the mission, giving the revolutionary project an additional Indian zing.
According to the American company Planetary society, on the outer edge of an instrument known as the calibration target on board Perseverance, there is a inspirational message in Hindi among other languages which says: “Khoj Ki Khushi” (the joy of discovery). A calibration target is used by scientists to refine 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 from Mars to study on Earth. To those who follow, we wish a safe journey and the joy of discovery ”. The phrase “joy of discovery” is then repeated 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 design the calibration target as part of its public education and awareness project. The Company is the world’s largest space interest group.
That aside, the Company hosted a Virtual Global Watch on February 18 to commemorate the landing of Perseverance with several special guests, including Bill Nye, known as the Company’s scientist and CEO. The Watch Night was broadcast on the Planetary Society’s Youtube, Facebook and planetary.org/watch and the live captioning was in Hindi, among other languages.