Do India's Space Program and Mars Mission Make Sense?

[Dalai Lama]

The Mars mission was a technology demonstrator. What's impressive is that ISRO managed to pull it off on their first attempt with a budget of merely ~$70 million USD, making it the only space organisation to do so.

The whole concept of terraforming Mars is a far-fetched as it can get. To do that we would need to create an ozone layer on Mars in order to neutralise solar radiation. Our time would be better spent on finding ways to mine and transport resources back to our planet.

The real positive aspect of all this is that people are finally getting excited about space exploration again, I personally believe this is Elon Musk's main objective. The real achievement however has been the democratisation of low earth orbit and the advent of re-usable lift vehicles.

 

[jamahir]

The Mars mission was a technology demonstrator. What's impressive is that ISRO managed to pull it off on their first attempt with a budget of merely ~$70 million USD, making it the only space organisation to do so.

For how much did Musk launch his Tesla car towards Mars??

The whole concept of terraforming Mars is a far-fetched as it can get. To do that we would need to create an ozone layer on Mars in order to neutralise solar radiation.

I don't know if Ozone will have to be manufactured.

Secondly, maybe we can crash a big asteroid on one of the two ice capped poles of Mars, and release Oxygen into the atmosphere.

Our time would be better spent on finding ways to mine and transport resources back to our planet.

Trade??

 

[Shamsher1990]

You have the largest amount of hungry and the poor and your entire technological system was established by the USSR. It still took you decades to be able to take advantage of it.

We are the lowest we have been but our social indicators dwarf yours. There are no starving farmers in Pakistan.

Our destiny, like our past, is much better than yours.

You are at best the worse expression of human degradation and at the cusp of suffering in the entire human existence.

Are you aware Antrix is actually profitable? Even more than Ariannespace, commercial arm of ESA?
https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/indi...nce-vssc-director.566567/page-2#post-10613576
BTW, this is over and above all the money that India saves by launching its own satellites by itself.

Are you aware that Indian Space program saved lives of millions of Indians during 2004 Tsunami?
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...e-save-million-lives/articleshow/24069226.cms

 

[Kamikaze Pilot]

Are you aware Antrix is actually profitable? Even more than Ariannespace, commercial arm of ESA?
https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/indi...nce-vssc-director.566567/page-2#post-10613576


Are you aware that Indian Space program saved lives of thousands of Indians during 2004 Tsunami?
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...e-save-million-lives/articleshow/24069226.cms

Indian sources can be very misleading. Earlier even I used to take Indian media's words at face value. But I have stopped trusting it.

Sample this:

In 1984 anti-Sikh riots, in a single city of Delhi, 3000 were killed. In 2002 Gujarat riots, the whole state was burning, yet only 2000 were killed. How come? It is because Indian media lies a lot.

 

[Shamsher1990]

LOL!!

India is among TOP RECIPIENT countries of foreign aid. Who the hell are you kidding? Go easy on that cow urine whisky.

Begging is what India does, always has and always will.

@The Eagle Seems our intellectual professor needs some time to revaluate his proprietary. Please do the needful.
BTW, what does recipient of foreign aid has to do with space program. Even Chinese receive foreign development aid till date. And they received it even more when they started their space development programs.

Re-packaged and re-labelled gifts of the USSR!

USSR is long dead, pal. Its now almost 30 years.

 

[delta2]

@The Eagle Seems our intellectual professor needs some time to revaluate his proprietary. Please do the needful.
BTW, what does recipient of foreign aid has to do with space program. Even Chinese receive foreign development aid till date. And they received it even more when they started their space development programs.

USSR is long dead, pal. Its now almost 30 years.

The core of Indian defense infrastructure is of the Soviet/Russian origin and will remain so for many coming decades.

30 years, exactly my point, and you are still benefiting from these gifts of the USSR.

 

[Shamsher1990]

The core of Indian defense infrastructure is of the Soviet/Russian origin and will remain so for many coming decades.

30 years, exactly my point, and you are still benefiting from these gifts of the USSR.

This discussion is not about defence. Why are you sidetracking it? Its about India civilian space program.

That way USA is being benefitted by German help in rocketry. Right? All of NASA's tech is German rocket tech from WW2. Isn't it?

 

[delta2]

@The Eagle Seems our intellectual professor needs some time to revaluate his proprietary. Please do the needful.
BTW, what does recipient of foreign aid has to do with space program. Even Chinese receive foreign development aid till date. And they received it even more when they started their space development programs.

USSR is long dead, pal. Its now almost 30 years.

There are no Chinese starving to death. The Chinese farmer aren't committing suicide on a daily basis. As a matter of fact, a significant number of members of the Chinese Communist Party are farmers. China is light years ahead of India. Putting the two even in the same sentence seems unfair, let alone comparing their status.

 

[Shamsher1990]

There are no Chinese starving to death. The Chinese farmer aren't committing suicide on a daily basis. As a matter of fact, a significant number of members of the Chinese Communist Party are farmers. China is light years ahead of India. Putting the two even in the same sentence seems unfair, let alone comparing their status.

Okay, let me see. So you started with "Space Prgram", wandered into "Foreign Aid" and are now into socio-economic condition of farmers. Okay, I will entertain you. Atleast for this one.

Was China starvation free when Chinese space program started in 1956? Nope.
When was the first Chinese sounding rocket launched? 1960.
When was the Great Chinese Famine which killed around 15-30 millions? 1959-61.

Does the space program has much to do with socio economic condition? Somewhat... if its needed, you don't wait before you become Swedish.

 

[delta2]

This discussion is not about defence. Why are you sidetracking it? Its about India civilian space program.

That way USA is being benefitted by German help in rocketry. Right?

There is nothing civilian about a space program.

It was the American deep state that realized the benefit of bringing over German scientists. There is no comparison here.

Replying to an Indian's empty, boastful claims to remind him/her where their so called space capability came from, in a thread about a space program, is side tracking? I see.

Okay, let me see. So you started with "Space Prgram", wandered into "Foreign Aid" and are now into socio-economic condition of farmers. Okay, I will entertain you. Atleast for this one.

Was China starvation free when Chinese space program started in 1956? Nope.
When was the first Chinese sounding rocket launched? 1960.
When was the Great Chinese Famine which killed around 15-30 millions? 1959-61.

Ask the same questions about India.

As I said, China is light years ahead of India. Comparing the two isn't even fair to Indian anymore.

 

[Shamsher1990]

There is nothing civilian about a space program.

I hope you are no one's teacher. Let me guess, weather forecast is military only. Satellite television is only for propaganda. Pollution tracking is strictly for defence purposes. This keeps getting better and better folks!

It was the American deep state that realized the benefit of bringing over German scientists. There is no comparison here.

Replying to an Indian's empty, boastful claims to remind him/her where their so called space capability came from, in a thread about a space program, is side tracking? I see.

And so it was Indian government that foresaw importance of space in all aspects of Indian developement. So they brought in Russian technology and used that as a spring board to develop their own space program. Actually no too different than Chinese or heck even US space program.

Ask the same questions about India.

As I said, China is light years ahead of India. Comparing the two isn't even fair to Indian anymore.

Were they light years apart when China started its space program? Nope!
Were they light years apart when China made major strides in space program? Including heavier launch vehicles? Debatable.

So why should a country curtail its space program if there are poors in the country? Specially when it feeds back into the development of the country!

 

[delta2]

I hope you are no one's teacher. Let me guess, weather forecast is military only. Satellite television is only for propaganda. Pollution tracking is strictly for defence purposes. This keeps getting better and betters folks!


And so it was Indian government that foresaw importance of space in all aspects of Indian developement. So they brought in Russian technology and used that as a spring board to develop their own space program. Actually no too different than Chinese or heck even US space program.


Were they light years apart when China started its space program? Nope!
Were they light years apart when China made major strides in space program? Including heavier launch vehicles? Debatable.

So why should a country curtail its space program if there are poors in the country?

If it wasn't for the USSR, the Indians wouldn't even have imagined the need of having a space program. You really underestimate what the USSR did for you guys.

Buddy China and India are not even in the same league anymore.

A space program isn't civilian in its nature to begin with.

I never proposed India to curtail its space program. I only pointed out to another Indian on here that if it wasn't for the USSR, India wouldn't have had all of these toys and whistles.

 

[Dalai Lama]

For how much did Musk launch his Tesla car towards Mars??



I don't know if Ozone will have to be manufactured.

Secondly, maybe we can crash a big asteroid on one of the two ice capped poles of Mars, and release Oxygen into the atmosphere.



Trade??

According to Google, the maiden Falcon Heavy launch cost $90 million USD and it would cost $150 million USD at max capacity. Of course, the boosters and the main stage are re-usable so this would bring down the cost of future launches as those components only need to be refurbished as opposed to building brand new ones.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/12/elon-musk-spacex-falcon-heavy-costs-150-million-at-most.html

I believe, some of the more recent Falcon 9 launches have employed re-usable fairings as well which is pretty cool.

An ozone layer will have to be created in order to sustain human life on a large scale. Musk has even talked about setting off thermonuclear weapons at the North and South pole of Mars in order to do so. Honestly, I think he just likes to troll sometimes. Lol. Either way, we're talking about causing massive planetary destruction to our closest neighbour without fully knowing the implications.

This is what NASA had to say about the idea:
"We are also committed to promoting exploration of the solar system in a way that protects explored environments as they exist in their natural state"

https://edition.cnn.com/2015/09/11/us/elon-musk-mars-nuclear-bomb-colbert-feat/index.html

 

[Shamsher1990]

If it wasn't for the USSR, the Indians wouldn't even have imagined the need of having a space program. You really underestimate what the USSR did for you guys.

If it weren't for von Braun, there would have been no JPL in USA.

If it were not for Russian small range rockets, Chinese would not have been able to start their space program that early.

Humans build their efforts on the work of each other.

Powers trade political influence for 'gifts' of technology. US gave F-16 for deep influence in Pakistan's policy for quite sometime.

USSR traded the same for help it rendered. Heck India was a major country which stood by Russia --USSR's successor's-- annexation of Crimea.

 

[Dalai Lama]

If it weren't for von Braun, there would have been no JPL in USA.

If it were not for Russian small range rockets, Chinese would not have been able to start their space program that early.

Humans build their efforts on the work of each other.

Powers trade political influence for 'gifts' of technology. US gave F-16 for deep influence in Pakistan's policy for quite sometime.

Most current rocket technology comes from the Nazi V2 programme. Pakistan should be using Chinese assistance to advance their own space programme but it seems they're content with discrediting others. Oh well.