Successful Failure Stories from Space

Date 23rd August’2023

Between meetings I peered into the live link.

Touch down in 15 minutes, 10 minutes, 8, 7 minutes… The Vikram lander lowered unhurried.

Finally Soft Landing! I jumped with joy. My excitement knew no bounds.

A first for humankind Chandrayaan-3 landed on the moon’s south pole!

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Chandrayaan-3 went round the earth 5 times, then around the moon 6 times, travelled over 400,000 km in 40 days- faster than sound and then less than 30 km in 3 days- slower than we walk. Carefully maneuvering to achieve a perfect landing.

Brimming with pride, today no one can stop gushing over the momentous Chandrayaan-3 landing.

However, this article is not about Chandrayaan-3.

Sharing three successful failure stories from the space that you may enjoy reading.

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Story 1:

It was April of 1970 when astronaut Jim Lovell transmitted a message from Apollo 13 from 300,000 km away from earth- “Houston, we’ve had a problem.”

It’s oxygen tank blew up aborting the mission to the moon. With that starts a race against time that tests the human limits of resilience. The three astronauts drifting into space must live.

Oxygen in the shuttle is just enough for two to breathe for 18 hours.

There are three onboard and planet earth is three days away.

“Failure is not an option” said the NASA flight director Gene Franz. The NASA command center brought on every ounce of ingenuity.

As CO2 concentration started to breach the red line the astronauts did something unimaginable.

From scraps available inside a 10ft X 10ft capsule they built a CO2 scrubber.

After blacking out the space shuttle to conserve power they huddled up freezing.

The arduous space odyssey came to an end when it crashed into the Pacific on day 3. ?

Apollo 13 failed to make it to the moon yet it was the most successful mission of NASA

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Story 2: ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

When World War II broke out a bright young research scholar by the name Vikram Sarabhai whose favorite act was to blow up rockets from the courtyard of Cambridge University had to return home in haste.

Soon India won independence. India was stricken by drought and illiteracy and malnutrition and communal violence, and the list was endless. India had neither scientific knowhow nor funds.

Yet, along with his mentor Homi Bhabha he dared to dream of making India a space faring nation.

He tried to bring focus on space exploration in India, he failed.

He tried to raise funds, he failed.

He started shooting toy sized rockets that weighed a few kilos called Rohini that he used to carry on cycles and bullock carts. Most rockets failed and some succeeded, more success followed.

Later Vikram Sarabhai went on to setup Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

Today after many failures ISRO is at the forefront. The most ingenious, most frugal, and most Successful space exploration organization in the world.

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Story 3:

Chandrayaan-1 launched in 2008 was ISRO’s first attempt to reach the lunar surface and it did. It drew the attention of the world by discovering water on the surface of the moon.

10 years later with much fanfare Chandrayaan-2 was launched. It was ISRO’s landmark space mission to make scientific findings on lunar mineralogy, lunar exosphere, and water-ice on the Moon.

The world was watching, ISRO has come a long way and built a reputation.

During the final phase of the landing, when the lander was merely 2 km above the surface, communication with the lander was lost.

The Vikram lander came crashing down on the lunar surface, dashing hopes of millions watching. The crestfallen ISRO chairman, KS Sivan had to be consoled by the Prime Minister.

ISRO failed in its mission.

For the next 3 years ISRO didn’t work on what could go right, instead what could go wrong. It took on the daunting ambition to do what has never been done. ISRO planned to land on the lunar south pole. ??

Why is the lunar south pole so special? Because parts of the craters have never seen sunlight in eternity. The temperature drops to minus 250C, for context at minus 273 all atomic activity ceases.

On the 23rd of August Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed on the lunar south pole.

Failure of Chandrayaan-2 gave birth to the success of Chandrayaan-3

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So, what is Successful Failure?

Failure is inevitable and Successful Failure if NOT about romanticizing failure. It is about resilience, adaptability, and the ability to turn around setbacks.

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Sharing three pictures that captures the essence aptly:

1.?????? The never say die crew of Apollo 13 emerging afloat on the Pacific Ocean

?2.??????ISRO team carrying parts of the rocket on a bicycle- because that’s all they could afford

?3. The rocket scientists of ISRO celebrate after creating history