Nandini Harinath’s red-and-blue silk saree — the outfit she wore on the decisive day of India’s Mars Orbiter Mission — has been acquired by the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington and is now on display in its “Futures in Space” gallery. According to NDTV and comments Harinath gave to the BBC, the saree is the first object from India added to the museum’s interplanetary science collection and marks a symbolic tribute to the mission and its people.
Harinath, who served as deputy operations director for the Mars Orbiter Mission, recalled the launch-day operation as “a do-or-die moment,” saying the team had to decide where, how and when the spacecraft should go. She and other ISRO scientists steered the craft out of Earth orbit and began the roughly 300-day transit toward Mars. The mission, planned for six to ten months, ultimately spent about eight years in orbit, returning data on Mars’ surface and atmosphere.
The Smithsonian announced the acquisition on its official Instagram, noting Harinath as one of India’s “Rocket Women” and describing the saree as worn “the day the Indian Space Research Organisation’s spacecraft successfully left Earth’s orbit.” The museum said the garment, and other sarees worn by the mission’s women leaders, came to symbolize national identity and India’s achievement in space — making India the first Asian country and the fourth nation overall to reach Mars.
Placed in the “Futures in Space” gallery, Harinath’s saree frames broader questions the museum invites visitors to consider: Who decides who goes to space, why we go, and what we will do when we get there. The display underlines how the Mars Orbiter Mission elevated India’s scientific profile and highlighted the role of women scientists in space exploration.
Original Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/fashion/buzz/the-saree-that-made-space-history-nandini-harinaths-mars-mission-look-reaches-a-us-museum/articleshow/131550893.cms
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Publish Date: 2026-06-07 06:00:00
