India’s space programme turns 60 this year. From a small launch pad, the 715-kg Nike Apache rocket rose 208 km into the sky. The sight fascinated thousands of people in the area, which even motivated some of them to join the Indian Space Research Organisation. The Nike Apache launch was an international effort under the United Nations. The launch took place in the presence of legends such as Vikram Sarabhai, father of the Indian space programme, E.V. Chitnis, P.D. Bhavsar, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam amo