Shinigami
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ISRO'S Mars mission is the cheapest so far. Just Rs 450 crore.
"That is Rs 12 per km. Equivalent to Auto Fare. Truly Indian" - this is what a well wisher of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has to tell critics of the Mars mission in his post on the Facebook page of the space agency.
This enthusiastic comment is, in fact, not far from the truth. The criticism of the Mars mission being 'a waste of money' appears to be misplaced.
You have to look at the space programme in totality. You can't pluck out this particular mission and say it is a drain on national resources.
If one monetises the worth of national services that ISRO satellites are providing - communications, broadcasting, broadband, weather forecasting, disaster warning, ocean monitoring, education, navigation - it would be several times the budget of the space agency.
The cost of hiring or buying all these satellites or services from foreign operators would run into billions of dollars.
Projects like Chandrayaan and Mars Orbiter Mission are not designed to yield the same tangible outcomes as operational satellites like INSAT or IRS do. They are designed for scientific or technological explorations.
Chandrayaan was a scientific mission with a number of payloads to explore the lunar atmosphere and surface. It did yield good scientific results - the discovery of molecular water on the moon.
On the other hand, the Mars mission has been designed as a technological mission. The objective was to develop and test technologies necessary for long inter-planetary missions.
The orbiter carries scientific payloads but their capacity is much less compared to those sent on the lunar mission. So, any scientific outcome from this mission, if it is successful, will be a bonus.
The benefit from this mission will be in the form of technology experience gained, which will be useful in future earth-benefiting missions.
At another level, the intangible benefits of missions like Mars are great. They help fire the imagination of the young and will hopefully attract more of them to science.
ISRO was flooded with job applications following the success of the Chandrayaan mission. Public understanding and appreciation of science is as important as the midday meal scheme or constructing new highways.
In any case, Rs 450 crore is not a big price to pay for this. Fuel worth Rs 1000 crore is wasted in Delhi alone by idling vehicles on roads every year.
In addition, our space programme is highly cost-effective, getting much more for every dollar spent compared to others in the business.
ISRO's annual budget is about one billion dollars, compared to $17.7 billion for NASA, $7.9 billion for Russian agency, $5.6 billion for the European Space Agency and $ 2.5 billion for China.
Unlike the Chinese programme, which is completely focused on national pride and superpower dreams, India's space programme is linked to broader national theme of national development. Let's take the Mars mission for what it is - a technological leap for ISRO if it succeeds in placing the orbiter in an orbit around Mars in September 2014.
Zooming onto the social networks
For the first time, the Indian space agency has taken to social media by creating a Facebook page for the Mars Orbiter Mission.
Within 10 days of its launch, the page has garnered 221,000 likes. More significant is the quality of feedback to updates posted by ISRO.
Some very intelligent questions are being asked on each orbit raising maneuver of the mission and are being promptly replied to by space scientists.
For instance, someone asked an interesting question on the state of MOM during the 300-day journey to the Mars orbit. Do you see any problem in starting the idle engine of MOM after 300 days of travel in intense sun?
"The propulsion design takes care of this issue by alternate paths for fuel and oxidizer provided for Mars Orbit Insertion Manoeuvre", replied ISRO promptly. One has never seen this kind of public communication by any scientific agency in India.
Like its rocket programme, ISRO is being cautious with social media. This time it was Facebook. For the next launch, we can hope to see updates on Twitter as well.
It IS rocket science
The real 'hero' of the Mars mission story so far is the rocket, Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), which was on its silver jubilee flight on November 5.
Of its 25 flights so far, just two failed and two initial ones were categorised as developmental. With 23 successful launches in a row, it has emerged as the workhorse of ISRO.
ISRO Chairman Radhakrishnan after the PSLV was successfully launched
This kind of success rate is an enviable record for any agency in the highly competitive space business.
Owing to its capacity to launch multiple satellites in one flight, PSLV has placed 63 satellites in their respective orbits so far and, surprisingly enough, a bulk of them (35) were foreign. In its class, the rocket is now mature enough to be called a commercial launcher.
It is credible that we have reached this stage despite arm twisting techniques such as black listing by the US. India's travails with the rocket technology continue with its efforts to master the next level of technology necessary for launching heavier satellites.
A successful launch of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) with an indigenous cryogenic engine is the next target for ISRO.
Why ISRO's pricey Mars mission is secretly a bargain | Mail Online
"That is Rs 12 per km. Equivalent to Auto Fare. Truly Indian" - this is what a well wisher of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has to tell critics of the Mars mission in his post on the Facebook page of the space agency.
This enthusiastic comment is, in fact, not far from the truth. The criticism of the Mars mission being 'a waste of money' appears to be misplaced.
You have to look at the space programme in totality. You can't pluck out this particular mission and say it is a drain on national resources.
If one monetises the worth of national services that ISRO satellites are providing - communications, broadcasting, broadband, weather forecasting, disaster warning, ocean monitoring, education, navigation - it would be several times the budget of the space agency.
The cost of hiring or buying all these satellites or services from foreign operators would run into billions of dollars.
Projects like Chandrayaan and Mars Orbiter Mission are not designed to yield the same tangible outcomes as operational satellites like INSAT or IRS do. They are designed for scientific or technological explorations.
Chandrayaan was a scientific mission with a number of payloads to explore the lunar atmosphere and surface. It did yield good scientific results - the discovery of molecular water on the moon.
On the other hand, the Mars mission has been designed as a technological mission. The objective was to develop and test technologies necessary for long inter-planetary missions.
The orbiter carries scientific payloads but their capacity is much less compared to those sent on the lunar mission. So, any scientific outcome from this mission, if it is successful, will be a bonus.
The benefit from this mission will be in the form of technology experience gained, which will be useful in future earth-benefiting missions.
At another level, the intangible benefits of missions like Mars are great. They help fire the imagination of the young and will hopefully attract more of them to science.
ISRO was flooded with job applications following the success of the Chandrayaan mission. Public understanding and appreciation of science is as important as the midday meal scheme or constructing new highways.
In any case, Rs 450 crore is not a big price to pay for this. Fuel worth Rs 1000 crore is wasted in Delhi alone by idling vehicles on roads every year.
In addition, our space programme is highly cost-effective, getting much more for every dollar spent compared to others in the business.
ISRO's annual budget is about one billion dollars, compared to $17.7 billion for NASA, $7.9 billion for Russian agency, $5.6 billion for the European Space Agency and $ 2.5 billion for China.
Unlike the Chinese programme, which is completely focused on national pride and superpower dreams, India's space programme is linked to broader national theme of national development. Let's take the Mars mission for what it is - a technological leap for ISRO if it succeeds in placing the orbiter in an orbit around Mars in September 2014.
Zooming onto the social networks
For the first time, the Indian space agency has taken to social media by creating a Facebook page for the Mars Orbiter Mission.
Within 10 days of its launch, the page has garnered 221,000 likes. More significant is the quality of feedback to updates posted by ISRO.
Some very intelligent questions are being asked on each orbit raising maneuver of the mission and are being promptly replied to by space scientists.
For instance, someone asked an interesting question on the state of MOM during the 300-day journey to the Mars orbit. Do you see any problem in starting the idle engine of MOM after 300 days of travel in intense sun?
"The propulsion design takes care of this issue by alternate paths for fuel and oxidizer provided for Mars Orbit Insertion Manoeuvre", replied ISRO promptly. One has never seen this kind of public communication by any scientific agency in India.
Like its rocket programme, ISRO is being cautious with social media. This time it was Facebook. For the next launch, we can hope to see updates on Twitter as well.
It IS rocket science
The real 'hero' of the Mars mission story so far is the rocket, Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), which was on its silver jubilee flight on November 5.
Of its 25 flights so far, just two failed and two initial ones were categorised as developmental. With 23 successful launches in a row, it has emerged as the workhorse of ISRO.
ISRO Chairman Radhakrishnan after the PSLV was successfully launched
This kind of success rate is an enviable record for any agency in the highly competitive space business.
Owing to its capacity to launch multiple satellites in one flight, PSLV has placed 63 satellites in their respective orbits so far and, surprisingly enough, a bulk of them (35) were foreign. In its class, the rocket is now mature enough to be called a commercial launcher.
It is credible that we have reached this stage despite arm twisting techniques such as black listing by the US. India's travails with the rocket technology continue with its efforts to master the next level of technology necessary for launching heavier satellites.
A successful launch of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) with an indigenous cryogenic engine is the next target for ISRO.
Why ISRO's pricey Mars mission is secretly a bargain | Mail Online
