Now, kids can moonwalk at Nehru Planetarium

MUMBAI: Now, give your kids the experience of standing on the moon. The Nehru Planetarium at Worli has recently created a moonscape on the first floor with a model of an astronaut on it. The project is the brainchild of planetarium director Piyush Pandey.
Speaking to TOI, Pandey said that kids will love to stand on the simulated moon surface and get themselves photographed with the astronaut."I think this will inspire them to participate in India's future space programmes, especially the lunar missions,'' he said.
Some children who got themselves clicked with the astronaut on Thursday said that they were thrilled to "stand on the moon and shake hands with the astronaut.''
Pandey said the total area of the moonscape is about 80 feet and the astronaut's height is five feet. The total project cost is about Rs 2 lakh. The grayish lunar landscape taken from photographs is made of fibre glass-reinforced plastic.
The moonscape has been set up against the background of India's successful mission to the moon, Chandryaan-1, and the future missions which include Chandrayaan-2, tentatively slated for launch in 2013; the Google Lunar X Prize, a privately-funded flight to the moon also slated for lift-off in 2013; and Isro's joint flight with Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), MoonRise, scheduled for launch in 2016. The planetarium also made a film about Chandrayaan, which was released on July 17, 2008. It is now screened at periodical intervals.