Inside the vast galleries of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., where objects tied to humanity’s greatest journeys through air and space are carefully preserved, an unexpected exhibit from India has found its place — a saree.
The red-and-blue draped garment once worn by ISRO scientist Nandini Harinath during a defining moment of India’s Mars Orbiter Mission, or Mangalyaan, is now part of the museum’s collection.
The inclusion marks more than a personal milestone for the scientist, often referred to as India’s “rocket woman”. It also reflects how India’s entry into the global space race carried not only engineering ambition, but cultural identity as well.
The museum described the garment as “a vibrant red and blue sari with intricate patterns”, sharing images of a mannequin draped in the outfit alongside archival visuals from the mission.
For many Indians, the image feels familiar.
Years before the saree entered a Washington exhibit, photographs of women scientists in bright sarees inside ISRO control rooms had already travelled across the world.
Nandini Harinath wore this saree during one of the most celebrated moments in India’s space journey: the success of the Mars Orbiter Mission in 2014. Photograph: (Conde Nast Traveller India)
They stood in front of giant screens tracking spacecraft trajectories, celebrating successful launches, or monitoring data streams from millions of kilometres away. At a time when global depictions of scientists were still dominated by lab coats and sterile aesthetics, these images quietly disrupted expectations.
And Mangalyaan changed everything.
The mission that placed India on Mars
When the Indian Space Research Organisation launched the Mars Orbiter Mission in 2013, the odds were steep.
Deep-space missions are notoriously difficult, with many nations failing multiple times before successfully reaching Mars.
India reached the planet on its very first attempt.
In doing so, it became the first Asian nation to enter Martian orbit and only the fourth space agency in the world to achieve the feat.
The spacecraft was initially designed to function for six to ten months. Instead, it remained operational for nearly eight years, studying Mars’ surface and atmosphere long after expectations had ended.
The images of women scientists in sarees celebrating Mangalyaan’s success challenged stereotypes about who scientists are. Now, Nandini Harinath’s saree at the Smithsonian stands as a symbol of women’s growing visibility in space science and engineering. Photograph: (Rediff)
At the centre of mission planning and operations was Nandini Harinath, who served as the deputy operations director of the mission.
In a social media post announcing the display, the Smithsonian noted that Harinath had been “integral to mission planning and operations”. The museum also highlighted how the sarees worn by the mission’s women leaders came to symbolise both India’s success in space and their national identity.
A scientist shaped by stories of space
Long before she became associated with one of India’s most defining scientific achievements, Harinath was a child watching science fiction at home with her family.
Born and raised in India, she grew up in an academically inclined household. Her mother taught mathematics; her father worked as an engineer. She later pursued undergraduate and postgraduate studies in engineering before joining ISRO, where she would go on to contribute to more than 14 missions over a career spanning two decades.
But equations and propulsion systems were only part of the story.
Harinath’s love for space exploration
In a 2025 conversation at the ET Enterprise AI Making AI Work Summit in Bengaluru, Harinath recalled how television and cinema first shaped her fascination with space exploration.
“There was this very popular serial on TV called Star Trek,” she said. “My entire family were absolute fans, we wouldn’t miss a single episode. Another film I loved watching again and again was Apollo 13. Those stories of exploration and teamwork stayed with me.”
That sense of collective effort would later define Mangalyaan itself.
More than a garment
Museums often preserve objects because they capture turning points in human history.
The Smithsonian’s decision to preserve Harinath’s saree is not about fabric alone. It is about what it represented during one of India’s most closely watched scientific moments.
Before becoming one of ISRO’s key scientists, Nandini Harinath was a child inspired by Star Trek and Apollo 13. Raised in a family of educators and engineers, she went on to contribute to more than 14 space missions over two decades at ISRO. Photograph: (Instagram@airandspacemuseum)
For decades, space exploration has been defined by machines — rockets, modules, helmets, and engines.
This exhibit tells a different story: one where science and culture are not separated, but coexist.
For young girls in India, especially those who saw themselves reflected in ISRO’s women scientists during the Mangalyaan years, the saree carries another meaning too.
It stands as a reminder that scientific ambition does not need to conform to a single visual identity to be globally respected.
And now, in one of the world’s most recognised museums of aviation and space history, that story has been formally preserved.
