The 92nd session of the Indian Science Congress is taking place right now in Ahmedabad and the U.S. is hinting at closer cooperation with India in space exploration as reported by IndiaExpress.com:

“India is working on a mission to moon. We are looking at collaborations with India in this,” Dr Lee Morin, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Science at the US Department of State, Bureau of Oceans and International Environment and Scientific Affairs and a NASA astronaut, told reporters in Ahmedabad at the 92nd session of the Indian Science Congress.

“US is also looking at collaboration in the area of telemedicine,” he said.

One of Bush’s main legacy projects will be an ambitious space agenda, including the first steps in a return to the Moon and preparations for a manned mission to Mars (although both will occur long after he has left office and would be subject to the whims of future administrations). The International Space Station was created with the help of 16 countries, of which India was not one. Baby steps like this could pave the way for India to be an active partner in such ambitious undertakings allowing Indian nationalism to be inspired by something other than nuclear weapons. Let us hope though that scientists such as this guy at the SAROUL (Scientific Advance Research of Universe and Life) conference in New Delhi don’t get to participate in space exploration:

When water was there in Mars, there was a definite life; small insects, reptiles and fishes were the natural life, fishes used to live in small, medium and big lakes.

There were no seas or oceans on Mars, only lakes were available, where the river used to end their journey by dropping water, particularly in the big lakes.” Dr. Baldev said.

Ummm. No. That statement is absurdly false on so many levels, and the worst part is that some of the press won’t know any better.