Mayor inspires kids to take up sciences at Gaganyaan Space Suit exhibition

Kolkata: Mayor Firhad Hakim inaugurated an exhibition on Gaganyaan Space Suit at Birla Institute of Industrial and Technological Museum (BITM) on Wednesday.

"Earlier, I came here (BITM) when I was child. Today, I see a lot of changes here. In our days, we only knew about doctors and engineers. Nowadays, children can become space scientists. These types of exhibitions inspire children to become scientists and astronauts," said Hakim.

While Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up to launch the Gaganyaan project, it has developed a space suit prototype

along with other technologies.

Gaganyaan, an Indian crewed orbital spacecraft intended to be the basis of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme, is being designed to carry three people.

The three astronauts will be living for five to seven days within 400 km orbit from the earth's surface.

ISRO developed the orange-coloured prototype space suit over the past two years at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram.

With the ability to hold one oxygen cylinder, the suit will allow the astronaut to breathe in space for 60 minutes. "We are proud of our astronauts," said Hakim after inaugurating the exhibition followed by West Bengal Students' Science Seminar 2019 at BITM premises.

The seminar enlightened children about Periodic Table of chemical elements and its impact on human welfare. Students' Science Seminar is a nationwide event being organized by the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), an autonomous organisation under Indian Ministry of Culture, every year since 1982.