The saree worn by Indian space scientist Nandini Harinath during a major milestone in India’s Mars Orbiter Mission has become part of an exhibit at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.
The museum, which is world-renowned for exhibiting historic aircraft, spacecraft and aviation artefacts, has now added an item associated with India’s space journey – the saree worn by one of ISRO’s leading scientists during the successful launch phase of the country’s first interplanetary mission.
The garment belonged to Harinath, one of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s celebrated ‘rocket women’ who played a key role in the Mars Orbiter mission, also known as Mangalyaan.
Who is Nandini Harinath?
Nandini Harinath was born and raised in India to a mother who worked as a math teacher and a father who was an engineer.
Before joining the Indian Space Research Organisation, she completed her undergraduate and postgraduate studies in engineering.
She has participated in more than 14 ISRO missions in a career spanning over two decades.
Reflecting on her work during a previous interaction with Condé Nast Traveler, Harinath said, “Everyone you work on feels like they’re the most important.”
However, she described the Mars Orbiter mission as particularly memorable because of the national and global attention it received.
“But Mangalyaan was special because of the amount of people who watched us. And it’s great to be recognized for your expertise and skills. The Prime Minister shook hands with us. NASA congratulated us; now they’re working with us. But it’s not just the industry, it’s the general public, institutions, schools – everyone is so interested! They’re even following it on social media,” she said.
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How Star Trek inspired her space travel
Speaking at ET Enterprise AI’s Making AI Work Summit 2025 in Bengaluru, Harinath spoke about how her fascination with space exploration began in childhood.
“There was this very popular series on TV called Star Trek,” she recalled.
“My whole family were absolute fans – we didn’t miss a single episode. Another film I enjoyed watching over and over again was Apollo 13. Those stories of exploration and teamwork stayed with me,” she added.
Her remarks offered a glimpse into how popular science fiction and space dramas inspired a generation of Indian scientists who later became part of the country’s fast-growing space program.
Why Saree is displayed
The Smithsonian museum explained the significance of the sari in a post shared on Instagram.
“One of India’s ‘rocket women’, Nandini Harinath helped her country get to Mars. She wore this sari to work on the day the Indian Space Research Organization spacecraft successfully left Earth’s orbit and began its 300-day journey to Mars,” the museum wrote.
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The museum further stated, “As a rocket scientist and deputy director of operations for the Mars Orbiter mission, Harinath was an integral part of the mission’s planning and operations. The spacecraft far exceeded its mission of six to 10 months and spent eight years in orbit documenting the surface and atmosphere of Mars.”
He adds, “The team’s success made India the first Asian country and the fourth country in the world to reach Mars. The saris worn by the women leaders of the mission symbolized their national identity and India’s success in space.”
The museum also shared visuals of the mannequin dressed in a sari, describing it as a “vibrant red and blue sari with intricate patterns.”
“The saree features a blue blouse and a red and blue draped fabric with detailed patterns,” he added.
What was Mangalyaan’s mission?
The Mars Orbiter Mission, popularly known as Mangalyaan, was the first interplanetary mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation.
The spacecraft was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Center on November 5, 2013.
According to ISRO, the objective of the mission was to “test key technologies for interplanetary exploration and use its five science instruments to study the surface and atmosphere of Mars from orbit”.
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The mission marked a milestone for India’s space program after a spacecraft successfully entered Mars orbit in 2014, making India the first Asian country and the fourth country in the world to achieve this feat.
Originally expected to last six to ten months, the probe remained operational for nearly eight years, significantly exceeding expectations and strengthening India’s reputation for cost-effective space exploration.
