On 13th July 2023, ISRO scientists visited Venkatachalapathi Temple and Sri Chengalamma Temple in Tirupati ahead of the scheduled Chandrayaan-3 launch on 14th July 2023. The scientists performed puja rituals and prayed to the deity for the success of the moon mission of India.
ISRO Chairman S Somanath said while interacting with the media after the puja, “Chandrayaan-3 will start its journey tomorrow. We are hoping that everything goes right and it lands on the moon on August 23.”
VIDEO | “Chandrayaan-3 will start its journey tomorrow. We are hoping that everything goes right and it lands on the moon on August 23,” said ISRO Chairman S Somanath after offering prayers at Sri Chengalamma Temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh earlier today. pic.twitter.com/x9CkDhfWDF
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 13, 2023
Soon after the ISRO scientists visited the temples, ‘self-styled astrophysicists’ on Twitter became active and started sermonising the lessons of scientific temperament to the ace researchers in the country. Raju Parulekar tweeted, “Scientific temperament!”
Scientific temperament! https://t.co/EkCc5nYQ6P
— Raju Parulekar (@rajuparulekar) July 13, 2023
Vivek Iyer posted, “Top scientists of the country indulging in the oldest, unscientific tradition.”
Top scientists of the country indulging in the oldest, unscientific tradition. https://t.co/0vcWcG6esp
— iErr (@vivekiyer20) July 13, 2023
Comrade Arjun tweeted, “He who trusts god more than science is in the business of gambling, not space research.”
He who trust god more than science is in the business of gambling not space research. https://t.co/wZcieOXK2n
— Arjun (@comradarjun) July 13, 2023
Sumant Banerji posted, “Terrible optics. Science & religion are separate domains.”
Terrible optics. Science & religion are separate domains. https://t.co/osPBCyeJJJ
— Sumant Banerji (@sumantbanerji) July 13, 2023
Putiin Shetty wrote, “Never heard Nasa scientists going to church before their space missions. Somebody’s probably recruiting Buffoons I knew it, did not have to look far away.”
Never heard Nasa scientists going to church before their space missions 🤦🤦🤦
— Putiin Shetty 🎃 (@im_Breaking_Bad) July 13, 2023
Somebody's probably recruiting Buff00ns
I knew it, jyada dur nahi dekhna pada🤣 https://t.co/RGFmdlxnfZ pic.twitter.com/zo8Ks6hH8V
Hartosh Singh Bal tweeted, “If you have to pray to get science to work, you are not a scientist, you are just someone who prays that science works.”
if you have to pray to get science to work, you are not a scientists, you are just someone who prays that science works. https://t.co/Lu44LrWdEf
— Hartosh Singh Bal (@HartoshSinghBal) July 13, 2023
The less-known temple visiting tradition of ISRO scientists
IRS officer Dr Kiran Kumar Karlapu took to Twitter to provide lesser-known information about the tradition of visiting temples before a mission launch. He posted, “This has been a tradition for decades. A visit to the Tirumala Venkateswara temple along with prayers at the Chengalamma temple in Sullurpeta is a must for the ISRO scientists before any launch. Chengalamma is considered the Kshetrapalika (protector of the local lands) for Sriharikota.”
This has been a tradition for decades. A visit to the Tirumala Venkateswara temple along with prayers at the Chengalamma temple in Sullurpeta is a must for the ISRO scientists before any launch.
— Dr Kiran Kumar Karlapu (@scarysouthpaw) July 13, 2023
Chengalamma is considered as the Kshetrapalika for Sriharikota https://t.co/YlXXo3crUY pic.twitter.com/2aKZ1GqcH8
This is not the first time that ISRO scientists prayed in a temple for the success of a space mission. ISRO scientists have prayed in the temple before launching their missions even in the past.
Chandrayaan 3
ISRO is going to launch India’s 3rd lunar mission on 14th July 2023 at 2:35 pm from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. On Tuesday, 11th July 2023, ISRO successfully rehearsed for landing Chandrayaan-3 on the moon. The Chandrayaan-3 mission is the next phase of Chandrayaan-2, which will land on the lunar surface and conduct tests. It will have a propulsion module, a lander and a rover. The focus of Chandrayaan-3 is on landing safely on the lunar surface. New equipment has been created for the success of the mission. The algorithm has been improved. The focus has been on the reasons why the Chandrayaan-2 mission could not land on the lunar surface.
The mission will take off from the Sriharikota facility at 2:35 pm on 14th July 2023 and land on the moon on August 23 or 24 if everything goes according to plan. Earlier on Wednesday, an encapsulated assembly containing Chandrayaan-3 was attached with LVM3 at the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota. The successful completion of this mission will make India the fourth country in the world to make a soft landing on the moon after USA, Russia and China.
