On eve of Chandrayaan-3 launch, ISRO's unique 'launch' at spaceport

All eyes are on the 642-tonne LVM3 rocket that stands 44 metres tall at the 2nd Launchpad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), India's spaceport. As the rocket stands ready for launch at 2:35pm local time on Friday (July 14), a different kind of launch took place at 6:30pm, July 13.

It's the launch of a new book. Written by Indian national award-winning filmmaker Vinod Mankara, the book titled Prism is a compilation of 50 articles on various scientific subjects, that are presented in a simple and reader-friendly manner.

The book launch was done in the presence of ISRO Chairman Dr S Somanath, director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Dr Unnikrishnan Nair, former ISRO Chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan, among others. Dr Somanath and Dr Nair have also contributed their writings for the preface and foreword of the book.

Written in Malayalam, the book has articles that span across scientific domains including space, astronomy, anthropology, mathematics, biology, the space journey of Laika the dog etc.

According to the author, the book presents science in a poetic and aesthetic manner. It is aimed at bringing people closer to science and helping them appreciate the intricacies involved, thereby creating more awareness and interest.

Watch this report:

The tagline of the book reads 'Prism: The Ancestral Abode of Rainbow'.

Among other subjects, it has articles on the James Webb Space telescope, black holes, latest Nobel-winning discoveries in medicine, and physics.

Manakara is also the Director of what is regarded as the world's first science film made in the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit. Titled Yaanam, the film captures the story behind how Indian scientists executed the Mangalyaan or Mars Orbiter Mission successfully at a low cost. It captures the contributions of the core team of the Mars orbiter mission.

At present, Vinod Mankara is also working on ISRO documentaries focused on the Chandrayaan Lunar mission and the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, the mother centre of ISRO and the lead facility for developing rockets, space transportation systems.

According to Mankara, this book is a tribute to his science teacher from class five, Perur Gopalakrishnan. "This book is full of scientific wonders!" Chairman, ISRO, Dr. S.Somanath writes in the foreword.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE