As reported in a previous SM post, it seems like India is serious this time about their moon mission. It is healthy to be skeptical because they have balked at various space exploration ventures before, but this time it appears to be legit. Science magazine reports that western scientists are now clamoring to get their experiments on board:
Western researchers often beat a path to developing countries to study endangered species, ancient civilizations, or traditional medicine, among other subjects. Now it’s time to add planetary science to that list. Five scientists from around the world are jostling to get their experiments aboard an Indian spacecraft, Chandrayaan-1, that is slated to fly to the moon in September 2007.
“Chandrayaan offers a very cost-effective means to gather critical and unique data on the moon while forging new cooperative relationships in lunar exploration,” says one of the finalists, Paul Spudis of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland. Another finalist, Manuel Grande of the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Chilton, U.K., says he welcomes “the increasing opportunities for flying experiments on emerging space-nation launch vehicles and satellites.”
There were 30 scientists from 11 countries vying for a spot on Chandrayaan, but the list has been narrowed to five. Several other countries including the U.S. are planning robotic moon missions toward the end of this decade. However, with NASA’s budget always in flux and space science cuts looming, even American scientists were looking for a spot on the Indian spacecraft.
Given these uncertainties [in the funding of other nation’s space programs], space researchers say they welcome the chance to vie for a spot on the Indian probe. And the benefits cut both ways. The competition is designed to ensure “maximum scientific knowledge about the moon,” says ISRO chair Gopalan Madhavan Nair. Former ISRO chief Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan says it should also “enhance India’s status as a potential partner in future space exploration.”
Unless India can solve its hunger and poverty by gaining scientific knowledge from the moon, I don’t know where its priorities are. And no, i’m not saying the U.S. can do it but India can’t — I’d rather the US spend more money on its folks than out outer space missions too. And i’m not saying don’t do any kind of space work. Just…i think it’s a matter of priorities when you’ve got…a budget.
I respectfully disagree with the U.S. side of your argument but I am obviously biased. A nation like America who leads the world in technology and science has an obligation to conduct cutting edge science research and exploration. As sympathetic as I am to social causes and social injustice around the world including of course poverty, there will always be poor people. To divert money from the quest for pure knowledge (even if one can’t immediately see its practical usefulness) is in my opinion misguided at best. Our non-medical science budget is already much smaller than it should be (as a % of our budget compared to othernations) and the lack of homegrown scientists I beleive will become a national security issue by the end of the next decade. Without a cause such as space to inspire people to go into science, science and engineering continues to become a less attractive option for graduate education. During the time of the Spanish and British empires I am sure that many in the government advised against exploration of the new world because there were more pressing problems at home. I think the world would be vastly different had that risk not be taken. In the case of India however I agree with you completely. There are just too many problems to overcome before spending money on national prestige.
anjali,
why are you posting on a blog? don’t you know you could be feeding the children with this time?
why do you have more than one pair of clothes? Why aren’t you donating every cent you have to the indigent of the world?
If you haven’t done that, you’re a hypocrite who has decided to spend more of her own money on herself than the poor starving kids who are going to expire because of your selfishness.
Man, you’re just like those evil guys interested in space…how dare they concentrate on expanding the frontiers of human knowledge without making the world a utopia FIRST?
gc, thanks. I can always look to you to reduce healthy, important discussions on real issues, to…shit.
anjali:
Your argument depends on assuming that the money used for space exploration would otherwise go to fund poverty-relief and that such money would be well-spent.
But the history of the GOI’s ‘5-yr plans’ is hardly encouraging. In India, as elsewhere, the govt. ought to withdraw from strangling market forces, and limit itself to being a (neutral) referee.
The space program is one of the things only a govt. can do (relatively) well. So I think it’s money well-spent.
Kumar
Anjali:
Awwww, you hurt my fweelings. But again, I ask, why are you blogging?
I don’t know where [your] priorities are… Just…i think it’s a matter of priorities when you’ve got…a budget.
You’ve got a time budget, after all. And you’d hate to be a hypocrite, right? So why not speed up that whole stage of life thang and go straight for the sannyasin?
It’d be worth MAD karma, dawg, I’m telling ya. You’d be like Mo’ Theresa up in this piece.
On a slightly more serious note…what coherent argument can you give me – from your axioms as espoused in this thread – that you should spend any of your time or money on yourself when there are poor people who will be starving if you don’t give them money?
(or, perhaps, is it the case that you want other people to spend their money to assuage your guilt? And if they resist, use the force of the state to take their resources and spend it anyway on “health care”? methinks that’s closer to the truth…)
Stupid attempt by the Indian gov’t to show off the world what India is capable of doing…still over 30yrs behind at this point. Why not create a pool of all the South Indian nerds who are working for NASA & make a man mission to Mars? Thats a challenging feat!!! No one really cares if India does this really…like I said 30 yrs behind. Address the poverty, corruption & importantly hypocracy!
hi… i am boy . i am deaf. now , i am studying diploma in an arcitecture in india.i am very dream with interest about college in usa. please u will give me sepiamutiny with packet.ok..beause l will give to my father it.. i have show my addres.please do not forgot me..ok, MY ADDRES
Anjali, US has lots of homeless peoples so why don’t you send email to US government and mention to them that they should focus on providing homes,food to homeless peoples and not on space research? US has some other problems like health care but they are still investing in space research. You should encourage India’s effort and not write emails discouraging.
Nilesh
ANJALI, U R A BUM. THATS IT. STOP TALKING RUBBISH…..DNT TALK AS IF U R A SPACE SCIENTIST, ADVISING INDIA WAT TO DO WITH ITS SPACE PROGRAM.THIS IS LIKE ALL THOSE PEOPLE COMMENTING ON HOW BADLY TENDULKAR IS PLAYING SITTING IN FRONT OF THE T.V.
Not to knock Anjali (I do think she has a valid point that I’ve thought about) but the benefits from exploring space travel are more hidden than you would think. Because the US explored it back in the day, countless new techonological innovations were created as a side effect which in turn helped the economy. So they may not find a magic money tree on the moon, but it will generate both nationalism and new tech for india that are incredible beneficial.
Well, IMO if there is one thing that India and Indians extremely poor in, it is VISION. So when there is a visionary project about Lunar mission, I welcome it and hope that this signifies the beginning of visionary Indian leadership.
hello This is babu working as a web designer in private company. I was always dreaming about such a big project that india should achieve, but at some point i was not satisfied with the unmaned mission to moon though we have more than 100 crore people, well learned professional, lot of money is avaliable indeed we could not achieve the manned mission to moon. We are lacking 30 years behind developed countries, so india should develop at the rapid speed, Even china has completed the manned mission to space but we could not able to achieve this
thank u
I think some guys out here are discussing the issue without knowing the whole deal….India’s mission is not about joining the elitist group to have initiated the exploration- but also for energy independence, the moon has about a million tons of helium-3 – enough to satisfy Earth’s energy needs for thousands of years. They are also looking at harvesting solar power from the moon. According to scientists, harnessing just 1% of the moon’s solar energy could replace all of the fossil fuel power plants on Earth. And considering the amazing advancement ISRO had made in the feild of rocket science for a country facing so many obstacle is very commendable, infact India also happens to be the only country in the world where military activities with respect to space technology is compleatly independent of the civilian satallite and space research. being cynical is not gonna change anything, best way is to go educate oneself and others on this issue.
we indian’s will dominate earth in few years as, we are on fast track development and this exploration to moon will pave path for us not only be supreme power of world but, also of this mighty universe.
->more so we must not forget that revenue that we can collect from such mission can be beyond one’s imagination. ->technological advancement that we archive out of these field will certainly help india to improve it’s GDP.
anurag, you sound like Hitler; ignorant, racist, not rational or peaceful. I believe in India and want advancement for the country and people, but who the hell do you think you are??? Why don’t you educate yourself and show a little intelligence (if have any) by engaging in a useful dialogue. Why don’t you talk about worthy and respectable achievements (not domination) while at the same time solutions to the country’s problems (poverty, overpopulation / irresponsible reproduction, etc).