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India goes to Mars


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I gotta congratulate India, it's a great achievement for them. And on an unbelievably small budget (by NASA standards).

 

 

However, now I'm gonna worry about NASA outsourcing to India.... :ph34r::blink::wacko:

 

Laz

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Having worked in the space industry, and having worked with several Indian Engineers, I congratulate them on a difficult job well done. Nothing that flies in space is easy or inexpensive. Great Job!! :D

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Outstanding job, India! S.D., you got that right! At the rate NASA and Congress are going (funding-wise), we may have to get visas from the Indian (and possibly the Chinese) embassies in order for our own astronauts to land on the Moon and Mars! :(

 

(Question: does this mean if they actually put astronauts on Mars, we'll have to wait 12-45 minutes between asking the questions about our computers and getting an answer? :huh: (Depending on the distance between Earth and Mars that can be the time interval between radio transmissions...at the speed of light...for round-trip communications!)

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Folks who haven't paid attention to India over the past 20 years (other than to watch Gunga Din) are surprised.

Despite overpopulation and other problems, India is is a very rapidly developing modern country technologiocally. They will be mega huge financially in the future. Hopefully we can remain on a frienndly basis.

It's a fascinating country. There are over 100 separate native cultures and languages. But I wouldn't want to live there. Can't stand cricket.

 

edit

I'm sure someone will now re-post the Pak-India border closing ceremony again. :)

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Hold da dang phone ! :angry:

 

India landed on Mars ? When did dat happen ? :(

 

Well, I recon that means I'll have ta wait longer fer my questions to be answered now, if I can understand what the heck they're saying . :unsure:

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Hold da dang phone ! :angry:

 

India landed on Mars ? When did dat happen ? :(

 

Naw, they just delivered a satellite into orbit around Mars. No landing. But what makes it more amazing is they did it for about $74 million. Some Hollywood movies cost more to make than that.

 

Now, I will temper the enthusiasm a little bit by saying that some of the knowledge they used to pull this off came from US and Soviet research. We were the ones going "where no man has gone before" when nobody knew if a human could even survive the radiation of space. Certain questions have been answered since then, which makes the climb into space a little easier.

 

But for $74 million? Dang. NASA and their contractors seriously need to go on a diet. They (and much of the rest of the industry that supplies the US government) have gotten fat suckling on the American taxpayer's teat.

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I'm sure someone will now re-post the Pak-India border closing ceremony again. :)

 

That brings up a real interesting point, Bob. You look at the border crossing thing, and you realize that both countries were "British India", and had a whole lot in common. But Pakistan has been going nowhere for decades, and India has a big future and has been steadily heading toward it.

 

Look at that photo of the Indian space control center; lots of women scientists along with the men. Hard to think of that in Pakistan. The Pakistan story is a real tragedy.

 

There is something always fascinating about India, with its incredible human diversity, to use an overworked term.

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A friend of mine just spent a week in India. I can't wait to speak to her about the trip, and see what the peoples reaction was when the news came out that they were sucessful in making Mars orbit on Sunday.

 

I heard they got back a blurry photo this morning from the orbiter, and it sounds like it was a test of the equipment, and probably from extreem range. Once the orbit is stabilized and into an altitude the cameras are set for, the images should be clear.

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That brings up a real interesting point, Bob. You look at the border crossing thing, and you realize that both countries were "British India", and had a whole lot in common. But Pakistan has been going nowhere for decades, and India has a big future and has been steadily heading toward it.Look at that photo of the Indian space control center; lots of women scientists along with the men. Hard to think of that in Pakistan. The Pakistan story is a real tragedy.There is something always fascinating about India, with its incredible human diversity, to use an overworked term.

Look at the reasons for the split. India has proven to be a generally tolerant secular nation. Pakistan, well.........not so much.
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I'm sure someone will now re-post the Pak-India border closing ceremony again. :)

Bob, just so you won't be disappointed......

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ0ue-XGl9c

 

Laz

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Now, I will temper the enthusiasm a little bit by saying that some of the knowledge they used to pull this off came from US and Soviet research. We were the ones going "where no man has gone before" when nobody knew if a human could even survive the radiation of space. Certain questions have been answered since then, which makes the climb into space a little easier.

 

Brings to mind Spain and Portugal "discovering" and settling the "New World."

 

Where are Spain and Portugal today... is that our fate? To someday be little more than an obscure vacation destination known for interesting food...? :huh:

 

I'll refrain from commenting on where our current administration leads us. :mellow:

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Naw, they just delivered a satellite into orbit around Mars. No landing. But what makes it more amazing is they did it for about $74 million. Some Hollywood movies cost more to make than that.

 

Now, I will temper the enthusiasm a little bit by saying that some of the knowledge they used to pull this off came from US and Soviet research. We were the ones going "where no man has gone before" when nobody knew if a human could even survive the radiation of space. Certain questions have been answered since then, which makes the climb into space a little easier.

 

But for $74 million? Dang. NASA and their contractors seriously need to go on a diet. They (and much of the rest of the industry that supplies the US government) have gotten fat suckling on the American taxpayer's teat.

Of course our initial research came from the Germans. Like they say, we got to the moon first because our Germans were better than the Russian's Germans.;)

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Brings to mind Spain and Portugal "discovering" and settling the "New World."

 

Where are Spain and Portugal today... is that our fate? To someday be little more than an obscure vacation destination known for interesting food...? :huh:

 

I'll refrain from commenting on where our current administration leads us. :mellow:

Nothing lasts forever. Portugal's empire, even though it got pretty threadbare, lasted 500 years. I hope we "last" 500 years.

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When you have more than a billion people, it's not hard to find a million or so really smart ones and subsidize their education. The nes that aren't motivated to learn can be dumped on the roadside to struggle along with a billion or more of the struggling masses and nobody will miss them.

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