India, May 13 -- The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., is famous for housing iconic aircraft and space-faring relics, but its latest exhibit is decidedly different. Hanging among the high-tech gears of space history is a humble saree. While it never left Earth's atmosphere, the woman who wore it helped India reach another planet. The garment belongs to Nandini Harinath, one of ISRO's legendary "rocket women," whose leadership was instrumental in India's Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan). "One of India's 'Rocket Women,' Nandini Harinath helped her country reach Mars. She wore this saree to work the day the Indian Space Research Organization's spacecraft successfully left Earth's orbit and began its 300-day journey to Mars," Smithsonian wrote on an Instagram post. The share continued, "As a rocket scientist and the Mars Orbiter Mission's deputy operations director, Harinath was integral to mission planning and operations. Far exceeding its mission of six to 10 months, the spacecraft spent eight years in orbit, documenting Mars' surface and atmosphere." It added, "The team's success made India the first Asian country and the fourth country in the world to reach Mars. The sarees worn by the mission's women leaders came to symbolize their national identity and India's success in space." The museum shared a video and a photo of a "mannequin dressed in a vibrant red and blue sari with intricate patterns." "The sari includes a blue blouse and a red and blue draped fabric with detailed designs." It was ISRO's first interplanetary mission. A spacecraft was launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, on November 5, 2013. The goal of the MOM, also known as the Mangalyaan mission, "was to test key technologies for interplanetary exploration and to use its five science instruments to study the Martian surface and atmosphere from orbit."...