Members of Planetary Society, India (PSI) on Tuesday said that there was a need for Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to take up outreach programmes that will go a long way in inspiring youngsters to take up astronomy.

In an interaction session on ISROs Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) and Planet Mars, astronomy enthusiasts from PSI felt that more interaction between the apex Indian space agency and school students is the need of the hour.

NASA has excelled in outreach activities. In fact, it has managed to reach out and inspire students around the globe who now dream of joining the cutting edge space research of NASA. Our students do not have similar ambitions when it comes to ISRO. There is a definite need for Indian space agency to set up a special outreach programme for children, said Director, PSI, N. Sri Raghunandan Kumar.

As part of spreading awareness activities on ISROs mission to mars, the PSI members said that they have organised a series of awareness campaigns in city schools since November, 2013. We have received very good response from school students who have displayed a lot of interest on astronomy. A concerted effort along with government agencies to make astronomy popular is needed, Mr. Raghunandan felt.

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ISRO should take up outreach programmes