“We have not concluded anything as of yet,” said Vivek Singh, a spokesman for the Indian Space Research Organization, India’s version of NASA. It is not India's version of NASA, it is its very own organization ISRO- Indian Space Research organization. The name does not need any explanation. Statements like these reek of American elitism and aim to keep every emerging program a second fiddle to American priors.
Not something, I would have expected to see on a New York Times Article.
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India should pool there money with America and have a joint venture of space exploration providing india, meets the United States of America Government conditions. This would be an Opportunity for both nations. .
What’s in it for the US? Been there, done that.
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With millions out of water in their own country, why are they wasting money looking for it on the moon ? ? ? ?
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Do u really think US waited till all their other issues were resolved? Wake up really..
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In a world with such human need, why are countries, including our own, spending money to go into space? I felt the same way as a teenager hearing all the hoopla about our mission to the moon in 1969. Its all about collective ego, piggy backing our own needs to "win" onto our identification with the nation state. I assume that the next step will be Pakistan wasting money on who knows what.
Yes, it is a great accomplishment, but so is saving lives by fighting poverty and disease, keeping the planet from burning up, standing on your head for 10 minutes, or writing a beautiful song, etc. If you need it (and we all do) play a competitive sport, climb a mountain, enter the hot dog eating contest. They are all fun, but don't take millions, perhaps billions, in tax payers money just to say we got to the moon (or wherever).
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@Peter Wolf -- Ahem. Hot dog eating contests and standing on one's head "celebrate" our narcissistic smallness. Exploration demands the most noble of us.
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hey have a big water shortage but they are going to the moon? is there water on the moon??
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A country that can’t feed its people trying to accomplish something g that was done 60 years ago.
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@Mike - And about the feeding to our people, we never deny of our situation here but sooner or later we will surely get rid of the situation, No need to bother about this. Its our problem and we will sort it out. Your country is incapable to cut down the expenses for any mission so you people are approaching for us now a days to launch your satellites ad we earn out of that. Just have patience and watch.
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A more perfect example of "space Nationalism" one would be hard-pressed to cite. Perhaps Iran's orbital "satellite" "program." Ditto North Korea's.
What a huge waste of resources. Yet can the Americans who have commented in a similar vein in this commentary thread suggest even for a half-millisecond that the US was any LESS nationalstic-chauvisnist in its own moon program?
Importantly, this is what such programs tend to be about, from the perspective of the national governments that pay for them.
I understand that India (like China before it) feels great pride in space exploration, particularly with its large number of highly qualified engineer; yet I (a huge space enthusiast) can't help but question whether the money shouldn't have first been spent on its people, the vast majority of whom are still living in very underdeveloped conditions. Reading yesterday's NYT article on black America's reaction to the moon landing, as incredible as it was, ("Whitey's on the moon") confirmed this reaction. Even China, in many ways better positioned than India, with its huge foreign reserves, growing upper class, and ability to provide aid abroad, has millions still mired in poverty, or lacking access to quality medical care or education (what was once guaranteed under a stricter communism).
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India can’t feed it’s people, provide public utilities, including running water and sewers, yet the can spend billions on going to space? Sure, makes sense for a handful of people. The rest are on their own.
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@Philip Not really. It is like Portugal, now an impoverished land, yet thinking about winning back its earlier colonies gathered with untold cruelties and maddening trickery. The ground realities in India will be changed now inasmuch as for a change now in India there is a Government of the Indians, for India, and by the Indians! Earlier, the Congress misused much of the nation's wealth on enriching individuals and the Sonia Maino's family. It was a frenzied dance of the crooks, corrupt and the denizens!
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Who cares? It is their nation and they, like us have priorities. If this is what India wishes to do, then more power to them.
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The world needs more innovation from the incredible Indian engineering community. This will be a success because of that.
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...and, cue in the "lack-of-toilets" comments.
We in the US spend billions on space and waste even more on wars-for-profit, when we have so many who are undernourished and lack proper access to healthcare in our own country.
Let us not begrudge India for their space endeavors.
Let us celebrate our own space efforts, and everyone else's.
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This an ambitious and important project. My advice: 'Dudes, take all the time you need to make sure things are right!' What fascinating and strange things will the south pole of the moon yield? Best of luck; Wishes for success. Keep us posted!
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People in India are starving but they're playing with spacecraft.
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@MIKEinNYC
Ha! Americans are getting sooooo jealous! :-)
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Like all "space programs" this has little to nothing to do with science or learning. It is an attempt to test new rocket systems as a none too subtle threat by a nuclear power. India-Pakestan rivalry brought the world closer to nuclear war than at any other point. These rocket systems are simply middle platforms with a "science" veneer. Making this even more grotesque is the fact that well over a billion Indian poor live in misery without clean drinking water, sewage treatment systems, lacking electricity, and breathing the most polluted air in the world. Meanwhile the government of India builds more missiles, aircraft carriers, submarines, and more weapons systems. The rich throw food away and build mega mansions. Current official unemployment rate is highest since the 1970s, and that with huge manipulation of the figures (like in the US). Added to this is the jingoistic chest thumping, both a distraction from real problems, and a threat. I don't imagine too many Dalits or Muslims will feel uplifted by this rocket.
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@AR -- Pakistan borders India. It doesn't take much of a rocket to deliver a nuclear bomb across a line. They could hand carry it.
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Unethical India with no common-sense and they need to get their priorities right. There human rights abuses of their own citizens and corrupt government are an oxymoron.
Shouldn't that money be spent on getting better infrastructure and protecting water supplies so they don't run out of water. Get the basics right first, before you embark on unnecessary space programmes. Without clean drinking water there can be no life on this planet, at all.
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A silly waste of resources by a country that is vastly overpopulated and rapidly running out of fresh water.
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The Indian Space program is a living and breathing experiment in cost efficiency. NASA and ESA would do well to take note. Here is wishing all the success in their space endeavors to both India and China. This kind of competition is much needed and drives everybody toward a state of constant improvement.
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This is nothing new within the space community. I have heard many times about last minute postponements because of discovery of a technical snag. Better late than be sorry! I am sure India with its capable pool of scientists and engineers will achieve its current goal of landing the rover on a the moon in due time.
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India has nothing better to do with its' money. What about sanitation systems for its. poor?
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@wayne griswald The same could be asked of our expenditures for space exploration when we have endemic poverty, crumbling infrastructure, and failing education systems.
This was a relatively modestly funded effort. It is often said that if you look just at the middle class income group in India, the population would be equivalent to that of Germany. Why begrudge a developing nation an endeavor like this - there are sufficient funds to reach for the sky.
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@wayne griswald Somebody needs to give their aerospace engineers a reason to stay and work in India so their families can receive the love and attention that we all deserve. No matter how much the sanitation department spends I don't think engineers and research scientists will apply for those jobs.
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What Ben said.
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Go India! Your mission is so cool!
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But... why is this a priority for India?
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@On Therideau
Well, as JFK said when asked about USA's goal: There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. Its hazards are hostile to us all. Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation many never come again. But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas?
We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.
Perhaps India asked itself the same question and has the same response...
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@Roger Well said.
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@Roger
Way too facile a reason to divert the financial and other resources of a Third World country to what is essentially a vanity project.
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I was twelve during America's Mercury program and it was such a moment of national hope and pride. I wish India the same grace.
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@KCox . . .,
I had the Gemini arm patches as a kid. We were a whole generation riveted by these marvelous advances!
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@KCox . . .
Thank you for your good wishes :)
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