Early in the morning, while most of us were probably in our beds, history was created as India’s Mars Orbiter Mission (M.O.M.) successfully entered the orbit of the red planet. The I.S.R.O. pulled off an incredible feat of frugal engineering and helped us join an elite club of space-faring nations to have accomplished this stellar feat. The internet has been abuzz and congratulations have been pouring in. Here are a few facts about the mission which every Indian would be proud of.

1. This is, hands down, the most cost effective Mars Mission to have ever been undertaken.

The Mangalyaan Mission cost $ 74 million. The recent Hollywood space adventure movie “Gravity” cost about a $ 100 million to make.

2. India is the first country in the world to have succeeded in putting a probe into Mars’ orbit in the very first attempt.