(CSC) – On November 14th India joined the likes of Japan, the U.S., and Russia by landing a probe on the moon.

Indian politicians have put aside their partisan bickering for the time being to celebrate the occasion, with ruling Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi calling it “a historic day for India”, and Lal Krishna Advani, the opposition leader, calling it “an event to be recorded in golden letters”.

Hopes are high that this mission could be the dawn of a space age for India. “In fifteen years I want to see an Indian on the moon”, said Abdul Kalam, the former Indian president and rocket scientist.

Brupar Namreem, a street-side bucketwasher in New Delhi, is also excited about the future of India’s space program. “I hope this means the world will look at India in a different way”, he said as he squatted to take a dump by the train tracks.