An earlier post of mine about Indias Mars-mission was misunderstood by some friends as merely a clever-worded (and politically correct) carping about Indias skewed priorities. It wasnt that. It was a genuine enquiry about the significance of the achievement. What I really wanted to know from knowledgeable friends was whether this was indeed a scientifically-significant breakthrough or a mere shosha. In other words, Why India Went to Mars? I found this New Yorker article about Indias motives interesting: For the Mars orbiter, however, the journey was the thing. I would say eighty-five per cent of our mission is for technology demonstration, K. Radhakrishnan, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), told the Indian Express. There are both tangible and intangible benefits to be found in this demonstration: better research capabilities, the glint of prestige, even a nation freshly inspired by science. But in tandem, a hard-nosed interest is at play. The success of the mission and its attendant publicity will drive more business towards Antrix, ISRO’s commercial arm, which sells spacecraft hardware and software, leases transponders, and—most spectacularly—builds and launches satellites for others.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Sep 2014 08:03:57 +0000
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