After Successful Launch, India's Mars Orbiter Is On Its Way

neo12 writes "India has successfully launched a spacecraft to the Red Planet — with the aim of becoming the fourth space agency to reach Mars." As our previous mention of the launch notes, getting to Mars by rocket is a long haul: if all goes well, it will be about 10 months until Mangalyaan reaches orbit.

Comments

fffrrrssst pst

[Anonymous Coward]

fffrrrssst pst

0.37% of India's total budget

[Anonymous Coward]

That is the cost of India's entire space program. The Mars mission is obviously a much smaller percentage of that. So, to the inevitable critics about how poor India should not be investing on a space program, 0.37% of the total budget will not solve poverty problems. Rather, it benefits India more than being a drag on the economy.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[Anonymous Coward]

Please describe these benefits.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[RaceProUK]

PR stunt that leads to being paid to launch commercial satellites at cheaper rates than the US/EU/Russian alternatives. As their market share grows, the profit increases, and that can be invested in the country itself, either directly or via tax on employees' wages.

That's one possibility anyway.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[ArcadeMan]

It puts India on the list of space-capable countries instead of a tech support jobs stealing country?

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[gstoddart]

It puts India on the list of space-capable countries instead of a tech support jobs stealing country?

India isn't stealing anything. It's your corporate overlords who are moving the jobs away to be done more cheaply.

Don't blame India for that.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[alexander_686]

Basic Science.

People have tried to quantify the benefits of basic science but have largely failed – but that does not mean it is not important. By pushing the boundaries of knowledge two things happen. One is the development of elite intuitions which tend to churn out more scientists who tend to go on and do other, different, interesting things. The other is that they stumble onto new weird things which have other applications.

People have tried to quantify the benefits of basic science but have largely failed – but that does not mean it is not important. The spillover effects are hard to measure. There tends to be a long lag time between new discoveries and everyday applications.

Now, off hand, I would think something in genetics or biology would have a bigger impact then space but that is just my 2 cents.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[Anonymous Coward]

yes that is entirely true, you could blame india for the horrendus poverty levels that enable an american corporation to pay slave like wages to india and be considered a salvation.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[_Shad0w_]

Poor India with it's 1.842 trillion USD GDP. It's a G20 member with the 9 largest economy in the world, ffs.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[MightyMartian]

If they can pull it off, it tells Pakistan, "We can land a nuke on Islamabad just as easily as we send a probe to Mars." This is exactly how the US-USSR space race played out. The Apollo and Soyuz programs were all about demonstrating the capacity of missile technology.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[gstoddart]

you could blame india for the horrendus poverty levels that enable an american corporation to pay slave like wages to india and be considered a salvation

I certainly can't blame then for wanting to fix it. And since America also has horrendous poverty levels in some places ... I wouldn't recommend falling off that moral high ground.

But I can blame corporations for what they do -- if an American corporation wants to cut American jobs so they can be done cheaply elsewhere, why would Americans keep buying from them? Loyalty? Pride? Stupidity?

Americans are fond of talking about 'the market' -- this is just that. For better or worse, this is the globalization everyone has been crowing about for years, and is pretty much exactly what we've been told to expect.

Someone is willing to do it cheaper than you are -- and the race to the bottom continues.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[Anonymous Coward]

So it "benefits" the tiny amount of people that were already working in that field? Got it.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[_Shad0w_]

Oh, dear lord. I fucked up that post quite horrendously, didn't I?

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[MightyMartian]

Basic research is the cornerstone of pretty much all technological developments of the last two centuries. Do you seriously imagine that our materials technologies would be anywhere near where they are now without basic research into chemistry and physics?

Let me guess, you're one of those people who thinks that all development is just a series of Eureka! moments.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[Anonymous Coward]

Poor India with it's 1.842 trillion USD GDP. It's a G20 member with the 9 largest economy in the world, ffs.

9 largest economy, but with second largest population of well over a billion people. So still quite possible to consider it a poor country. By that reasoning countries like Monaco and Luxembourg would be considered much poorer than India?

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[gsslay]

So you're blaming India for being poorer than America, with lower wages, lower standard of living and lower costs of living? Interesting spin on things. Damn you, poor person. Just quit being poor already! Why can't you demand a bigger wage, with bigger houses, cars and TVs, like the rest of us?

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[Anonymous Coward]

Quote the source please?

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[0123456]

PR stunt that leads to being paid to launch commercial satellites at cheaper rates than the US/EU/Russian alternatives.

[citation needed]

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[alexander_686]

I am confused by your comment – where did you get the idea that I was against basic research? “Hard to quantify” does not mean “Not Important”. What it means is that one has a very hard time picking one’s way from George Heilmeier work in 1964 through all of the intermediate steps (and dead ends) to my computer monitor.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[mrchaotica]

That's true; immigration fraud is not the same thing as stealing.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[Immerman]

Are you disingenuous on purpose? 1.8 trillion isn't exactly a huge GDP, much less for a nation the size of India. Let's look at a few examples

___GDP (USD)...population...per-capita GDP
US.......15.68T......313M.....$49,965
UK.........2.44T.......63M.....$38,514
China.....8.23T...1,351M.......$6,091
Nigeria....262b......168M......$1,555
India......1.82T...1,237M......$1,489

So basically India has an economy the size of Brasil, spread across 6x as many people, or alternately a population the size of China, but with 4x less money. I'd call that pretty poor unless you're using Africa as your measuring stick.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[larry bagina]

Hiring all those space scientists prevented almost 12 women from being raped during work hours.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[ShanghaiBill]

It puts India on the list of space-capable countries instead of a tech support jobs stealing country?

India isn't stealing anything. It's your corporate overlords who are moving the jobs away to be done more cheaply.

The "corporate overlords" are not stealing jobs either. Claiming that they are is just a variation of the Lump of Labor Fallacy. Economies are not zero sum. Economies expand in response to the resources available, even if those resources are overseas. So most of these jobs are new, not replacements. These overseas employees, or the firms that employ them, are paid in US dollars. Since India is running a current account deficit, these dollars flow back to America in exchange for goods and services that generate jobs for Americans, which, because of comparative advantage, will almost certainly be better paid and more numerous than any lost IT jobs.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[petes_PoV]

if an American corporation wants to cut American jobs so they can be done cheaply elsewhere, why would Americans keep buying from them? Loyalty? Pride? Stupidity?

No, none of the above (although that doesn't preclude people from having those qualities). Americans buy from companies that offshore (american) jobs because those companies have lower prices as a result.

You must realise that patriotism comes in a very poor second when the alternative is 5 cents off.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[gl4ss]

it would build hell of a lot of sewers.
just saying.

and dunno if the total number is that low even.. most of their space related expenses are actually ballistics etc. military stuff they don't actually need(they do need however plenty of footmen, because it isn't exactly a pinnacle of stability, something that building sewers would actually help).

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[petes_PoV]

it tells Pakistan

You don't need a Mars misson for that. All of India's (and China's, too) neighbours are very well aware that the space-faring nations already have the abillity to drop anything they please on them.

No, this mission is an advertising campaign to promote India's already successful space launch industries. The fact that this mission is so much cheaper (if not yet successful: a major factor in the cost of american missions is employing all those 1,000's of staff at western rates of pay. And if the mission does make it to Mars, and continues to run to well past it's planned failure date then the mission just costs more) is part of the "we can launch your satellites AND we have much lower costs" message that the world will hear and take note of.

It might even do some science, too.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[Bill, Shooter of Bul]

First of all, American poverty doesn't compare to Indian poverty. Anyone would give an important body part to be upgraded from Indian poverty to American Poverty.

Second of All, consumers usually act in their own immediate self interest when making a purchasing decision. Where a product was made does not usually factor into that.

Beleive it or not, its not a zero sum game. There are winners and losers, and the profits of the winners seem to be rather concentrated.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[Anonymous Coward]

That's true; immigration fraud is not the same thing as stealing.

Right. Greedy douchebag corporation skirts around rules to act like greedy douchebag corporation ... following the template well established by greedy douchebag American corporations. Film at 11.

Sorry, but America perfected this particular kind of capitalism. That they're now victim to is is neither surprising, nor sympathy inducing.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[Anonymous Coward]

in the end the meek have no one to blame but god... or themselves for taking it up the butt

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[khallow]

They seem to spend too much time with "jobs" rather than demanding bigger wages. Let's take those away so that those Indians have more time to spend laser-focused on our real problems.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[Anonymous Coward]

You do not steal what has been handed to you freely.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[amicusNYCL]

How does one cite a hypothetical?

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[amicusNYCL]

Why can't you demand a bigger wage, with bigger houses, cars and TVs, like the rest of us?

A good first step would probably be demanding basic sanitation.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[RaceProUK]

Conveniently forgetting taxes that could be invested in critical infrastructure and social programs are you?

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[cayenne8]

So it "benefits" the tiny amount of people that were already working in that field? Got it.

Well, if they set up the first Kwik-E-Mart in space, when we get the rest of us to Mars, our astronauts will have somewhere to stop off to get water and snacks on their way to the surface.

Sounds beneficial...AND entrepreneurial if you ask me.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[RaceProUK]

Hypothetically :-)

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[Gothmolly]

India->China->Africa

I'd learn French if I were you. And learn to like sunscreen.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[gstoddart]

I'd learn French if I were you. And learn to like sunscreen.

I already know French. And sunscreen helps keep my pasty-white complexion. ;-)

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[cusco]

You forget that according to the Libertardians there are no benefits ever from taxes, except for the military.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[ArcadeMan]

What does learning French have to do with India or Africa?

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[Anonymous Coward]

Absolutely not... with 1 Billion people and one of the highest rates of population growth, they need greater area more than better infrastructure. Mars is perfect.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[gstoddart]

You forget that according to the Libertardians there are no benefits ever from taxes, except for the military.

That's not fair. Someone has to be around to enforce contract law and property rights too.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[cusco]

Maybe to the politicians and generals, but not to anyone else. Sergey Korolev told a Soviet general, "What we are doing is much more important than your bombs." The Saturn V was useless as a weapon, nothing about the Apollo launches was useful militarily except the spinoff technology, and the general public in both countries didn't cower in fear. Historical revisionism is fun and entertaining, though not always all that accurate.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[BringsApples]

Don't forget, that when a country is working on firsts, especially in a space program, it unites the country. India is already united (aside from religious problems that plague the entire planet) in it's still recent independence from British rule, and so this must be very exciting for Indians.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[Anonymous Coward]

Most of western Africa used to be a french colony, and French is still widely spoken in those countries.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[Anonymous Coward]

Just remember: "The race to the bottom starts at the top." Or in the words of Ronald Reagan, who quoted a Chinese proverb, "The fish rots from the head."

Mitt Romney would tell you its true if he wasn't following Joseph Smith to another planet. Apparently he doesn't need an Indian launch platform or a Sino-Soviet engine to get him there, either.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[maroberts]

India already is a nuclear power with rocket capability. Going to Mars doesn't tell Pakistan anything new.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[cusco]

France was a major colonial power in Africa, and much of western Africa still speaks it as an official language.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[Anonymous Coward]

Mars is perfect for what? It's an unimaginably distant dead rock with nothing on it. Antarctica is a billion times more hospitable.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[cusco]

The launch cost less than a steel magnate's daughter's wedding just a couple of years ago. If the problem is just money that's the place to go to get it, not robbing the country's future development. Were you one of the people who scoffed when Indira Gandhi revealed the country's plan to expand the secondary and educational system and universities, squawking that "They're wasting money while people are starving"? Now those educated people bring vast amounts of income into the country, which their space program hopes to do as well.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[parkinglot777]

At $72m (£45m), the mission is comparatively cheap, but some commentators have still questioned whether a country with one of the highest rankings for childhood malnutrition in the world should be spending millions on a mission to the Red Planet.

If you are talking about this budget, then it does not really mean anything. This is the budget for this testing project but is not comparable to a real project. When it comes to a real project, launching is only a small part and cost for the whole project. Yes, the country benefit for this test, but is it really worth to put a lot more money into another program for a real thing? That is my big question...

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[interkin3tic]

Moreover, to those critics, realize that "it's in a different country" isn't a really good reason why we're exempt from such criticism as well. Just because there are poor people in a different country doesn't make it exclusively that country's moral obligation. The money and resources our country puts into military hardware it doesn't actually need could feed a lot of hungry mouths. So to anyone who would criticize India's priorities, go ahead and criticize the US's as well.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[Anonymous Coward]

No one is blaming India. It's their 'leaders' who invest public funds building fancy doo-hickies for the west which serve no purpose to the Indian poor who are deservedly 'blamed'. It's as if you forget that humanity exists here and will never thrive on Mars.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[fiannaFailMan]

Mars is perfect for what? It's an unimaginably distant dead rock with nothing on it. Antarctica is a billion times more hospitable.

Yeah, and the moon is another dead distant rock. What could we possibly learn by going there, hmm?

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[rickb928]

India has used satellites to improve weather and crop forecasting, fisheries management, and just plain ol' land use data gathering and other metrics. Their space program largely serves their people by making government and commerce more productive and efficient.

This mission will further develop their technical capabilities, and if it leads to more commercial paid-for launches, they will probably piggyback their own birds on these, saving more money and letting India further exploit space technology to their benefit.

There may be more examples. I just hit the easy ones.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[K. S. Kyosuke]

People have tried to quantify the benefits of basic science but have largely failed – but that does not mean it is not important.

1900: "Electrons? Quantum physics? Can you eat that?"

1948: The transistor.

2013: Hell, look around yourself...

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[Anonymous Coward]

aside from your trollish ignorance, libertarians do not in fact support a large standing military.

you must be confusing them with the conservative republicans whoa re afraid to call themselves such, and so hide under the libertarian banner.
that or youre jsut the typical ignorant slashdotter who has no sticking clue what a libertarian is, but acts like an expert on them.
probably both.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[Anonymous Coward]

The off shoring of US jobs has been declining and will most likely continue to decline. There has even been an increase in the number of foreign corporations setting up new or expanding current operations. The growth in US energy production will also attract foreign businesses looking for lower energy prices. The countries that rely on low wages and high growth will have problems maintaining the same level of productivity as the low wage workers start demanding the higher wages necessary to support the their domestic economy.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[geekoid]

A Pakistan / India war would not need weapons that enter orbit.
It would be like Nevada building ICBMs to get to Idaho.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[excelsior_gr]

Yes, but that was back in the 60ies. Today both Pakistan and India own nukes. See the comments from the others below for the actual reason.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[Anonymous Coward]

Oops, it's down to 8. Some of the guys had a quick rape after lunch break.

Don't worry, they might be prosecuted in a year or 10.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[Anonymous Coward]

Exactly. What *did* we learn by sending people there? Nothing as far as I can tell.

Re: 0.37% of India's total budget

[Anonymous Coward]

Or to view if differently, American companies, realizing how over paid Americans are, are offering market rates get the same job done more efficiently. What is a fair price depends on market realities: supply and demand.

BTW, I make over 60000 USD while living in India along with close to 2 months of paid vacation. That doesn't look like slavery to me.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[Anonymous Coward]

Botswana, Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia & Zimbabwe have English as official languages.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[Anonymous Coward]

Are you suggesting that my cell phone is edible?

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[KingMotley]

Yes because no one but a very select few are affected by communications costs like the telephone, tv, and internet. I don't have the numbers, but I'm pretty sure that you are right that it only "benefits the tiny amount of people".

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[KingMotley]

Perhaps you need to actually look before opening your mouth. Just a thought.

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[KingMotley]

Is it an apple?

Re:0.37% of India's total budget

[ElSergio]

Probably thinks NASA has done nothing for us too.

Allow me to be the first to say ...

[gstoddart]

Jai Hind!!

Awesome work guys. Hopefully in 10 months we'll be seeing stories about how it's entered orbit, and not stories about something going wrong.

Re:Allow me to be the first to say ...

[bob_super]

They are a democracy and use metric at home. We're in uncharted territory when it comes to first-time to Mars.

Re:Allow me to be the first to say ...

[Anonymous Coward]

Awesome work guys.

Ah no. Not really.

The media would like to know why the money wasn't spent on `sanitation.'

Though the mission is cheap by developed countries' standards, it has faced criticism in India where commentators have questioned why the money has not been spent instead on improving poor sanitation.

So, what have you to say for yourselves, space cowboys of India?

Re:Allow me to be the first to say ...

[somersault]

What makes you think that it's lack of money causing the poor sanitation? Or that the money for this particular program was the only money that could have been diverted? Or that you shouldn't congratulate the engineers who worked towards this pretty awesome achievement, even if their government/religious leaders are idiots?

Re:Allow me to be the first to say ...

[Anonymous Coward]

Better sanitation means improved health, which means fewer deaths, which means larger population, which means more hunger, which means more dissatisfaction, which means more unrest, which means shit's gonna get fucked up.

Re:Allow me to be the first to say ...

[gstoddart]

So, what have you to say for yourselves, space cowboys of India?

India has a population of over 1.2 billion people. There will always be other things to spend money on. This gives India both technology, future industry, and hopefully something to make the next generation of Indian rocket scientists happen.

You can't stagnate a country until you've mopped up everything else -- because you'd never be done. This was done for something like under $75 million dollars -- it's not like that would have completely alleviated the problems. It likely wouldn't even put a dent in them.

Find me one single country which has solved all of their problems before also focusing on other things. The reality is, you can't, and all countries need to do more than one thing.

Re:Allow me to be the first to say ...

[Anonymous Coward]

India will be first to build toilet on mars... jai toilet

Re:Allow me to be the first to say ...

[Anonymous Coward]

Generally aerospace engineers don't work on civil engineering projects. They should have outsourced the project to India to save enough money to get the civil engineers payed too.

Re:Allow me to be the first to say ...

[Anonymous Coward]

Sure. Nobody is talking about India fixing all of its many problems before getting into space adventures. It would be nice though if it were to invest in, say, getting sanitation for the HUNDREDS of millions of Indian citizens who lack it. No country has solved of all its poverty problems, but that India is of gargantuan proportions, and devoting money to what is little more than asserting presence in a pissing contest is an insult to the many thousands of Indian people who die everyday because of the abject poverty in which they are forced to live.

Re:Allow me to be the first to say ...

[Anonymous Coward]

That is why the global elites are supporting population control initiatives in India. Those elites are the TRUE racists for seeking (pun not intended) to limit births in specific groups.

Re:Allow me to be the first to say ...

[KingMotley]

And I would like to know why the US does anything it does when I have a road not a mile from my house that has a pot hole in it. OMG, we should stop funding everything until that is fixed!

Re:Allow me to be the first to say ...

[riffzifnab]

+1, go kick some ass on the red planet India. The more people involved in space exploration the better. (:

where is it?

[watcher-rv4]

In 3 years, Slashdot may have a story "Mangalyaan leaves the Solar System".

Re:where is it?

[mrchaotica]

That would be quite an achievement... it would mean that Mangalyaan would be traveling an order of magnitude faster than the Voyager probes, by accident!

fffrrrrrst posssttt

[Anonymous Coward]

fffrrrrrst posssttt

No brainer

[Anonymous Coward]

If I lived in India I'd take the first rocket to anywhere. Sign me up. It can't be much worse than the rest of their transportation options.

Re:No brainer

[Kwyj1b0]

If I lived in India I'd take the first rocket to anywhere. Sign me up. It can't be much worse than the rest of their transportation options.

Actually, India has a very capable transportation network. Their railways are pretty good. Sure, you have the cheap seats that are not clean, but I've traveled a lot on their higher-class compartments, and they were clean and comfortable (air-conditioned sleepers).

The US has one of the worst PUBLIC transportation systems for a western country. Even air transport is horrible for an economy passenger. Frankly, the railway and bus network of India puts the US' public transport network to shame.

Re:No brainer

[Anonymous Coward]

66 The US has one of the worst PUBLIC transportation systems for a western country. Even air transport is horrible for an economy passenger. Frankly, the railway and bus network of India puts the US' public transport network to shame. 99

Yet they somehow find themselves here stealing whatever few homeowner wage jobs that remain.

Sanitation and hygiene are frowned upon as colonial impostions and interferences in the outworkings of KARMA. I can't say "damn it" because impersonal absolutes don't have the intellect, emotions and will to imprecate.

Getting to Mars by rocket is a long haul...

[MobyDisk]

If getting to Mars by rocket is a long haul, does that mean there is a shorter way?

Re:Getting to Mars by rocket is a long haul...

[rubycodez]

yes, a continuously powered non-ballistic trajectory. possible with alternative technologies to chemical fuel rockets

Re:Getting to Mars by rocket is a long haul...

[arthurpaliden]

Yes but it requires putting nuclear reactors into space. Public opinion is against this for some reason.

Re:Getting to Mars by rocket is a long haul...

[Anonymous Coward]

fuck space and the high horse it rode in on

if we want to strap a nuke on a rocket that's our choice. Even if something goes wrong, space is so big it will dilute any negative effects. The solution to pollution is dilution and what's bigger than space?

Re:Getting to Mars by rocket is a long haul...

[Anonymous Coward]

what's bigger than space?
 
Yo momma?

Re:Getting to Mars by rocket is a long haul...

[Anonymous Coward]

fuck space at 10x the cost, possible failure in mid air leading to radioactive debris on land and you've got yourself into another round of sequestration.

Re:Getting to Mars by rocket is a long haul...

[Anonymous Coward]

Someone should tell them about the sun.

Re:Getting to Mars by rocket is a long haul...

[Anonymous Coward]

Mission planners get to choose between low-energy, high transit time and long distance transfers (Hohmann or bi-elliptical or nearly so) and high-energy, low transit time, short distance transfers.

If you have easy access to energy, you can in fact go ridiculously fast. Fast solar sails (yes, that's a thing) could get to Mars in almost no time. If we ever decided to build them, they could be so fast that orbital effects are negligible. Trouble is, you get almost no payload and you zip right past or into the planet.

All real interplanetary missions use low-energy transfers, I'm afraid.

Good Job, But...

[Anonymous Coward]

This is great and congratulations to them. But, this mission seems very "me too" rather than addressing a specific issue. I wonder Why they didn't try something new. A real First, rather than first Indian.

Re:Good Job, But...

[TWiTfan]

Because most of the "real firsts" were done by Russia and the U.S. a long time ago. And you've got to start somewhere.

Re:Good Job, But...

[Anonymous Coward]

This is great and congratulations to them. But, this mission seems very "me too" rather than addressing a specific issue. I wonder Why they didn't try something new. A real First, rather than first Indian.

Uh, because it's fucking rocket science and making your first interplanetary mission go further than to one of our closest neighbors is even more likely to fail? The US with all its space exploration experience can still only get roughly half of Mars missions to succeed and this is their first so the odds are not very good anyway.

Besides, in order to do something new they can add different instruments to their orbiter than have been orbiting Mars so far. That doesn't increase the risks much but can yield new scientific discoveries.

Re:Good Job, But...

[fiannaFailMan]

Because most of the "real firsts" were done by Russia and the U.S. a long time ago. And you've got to start somewhere.

Most of the firsts were done by the Soviets.

First artificial satellite.
First living thing in space.
First astronaut.
First man to orbit the earth.
First space walk.
First woman in space.
First space station.
Plenty of broken records for long duration in space too.

Re:Good Job, But...

[interkin3tic]

Read the article: they're looking for methane, which has not been done before and could indicate life on mars. Moreover, half the benefits of a space program seem to be developing it. They're developing aerospace capabilities which will translate into other fields. They're developing high expertise jobs to retain skilled engineers and scientists. Looking at the budget cuts, they're doing it at a great time too: while the US seems bound and determined to send all it's scientists away. Because low taxes or something.

Re:Good Job, But...

[TWiTfan]

Yeah, IIRC, Russia was once part of the Soviet Union.

Re:Good Job, But...

[fiannaFailMan]

Whoosh!

Jesus H Christ do I have to spell it out?

Most of the firsts were not achieved by the US.

Got it?

As Usual

[Anonymous Coward]

This will exactly meat the requested specifications, no more, and be completely unfit for use in a commercial setting... At least it was cheap.

Re:As Usual

[The Grim Reefer]

This will exactly meat the requested specifications,

As long as it's not beef.

Re:As Usual

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm glad you caught that... Sounds like I'll have to eat my words.

Re:As Usual

[Iskender]

>>This will exactly meat the requested specifications,
>As long as it's not beef.

No problem: it easily passed pear review.

Tech support? You mean Harley-Davidson cycles!

[Anonymous Coward]

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/11/05/harley-davidson-launches-small-motorcycle-lineup

Here's wish India, "Good Luck".

[Anonymous Coward]

Mankind need to Mars...

Re:Here's wish India, "Good Luck".

[Anonymous Coward]

Uh, what? Mankind? Need? What the hell are you talking about? Mars is a dead, cold, sterile rock unimaginably far away. So what?

The other three space agencies?

[Anonymous Coward]

What are the other three space agencies with a presence near Mars?

Re:The other three space agencies?

[Anonymous Coward]

NASA, ESA, and Roscosmos, I'm guessing?

Re:The other three space agencies?

[nharmon]

Soviet Space Program, NASA, and the European Space Agency.

Re:The other three space agencies?

[quarterbuck]

Japan has a presence "near" Mars too. They got their probe all the way there, but could not put it into Mars orbit.

The vacuum of space

[DougOtto]

At least in space you won't be able to hear the incessant honking of the rocket's horn; a distinction among India's vehicles.

Re:The vacuum of space

[Anonymous Coward]

Nor will you see old women screaming and driving their vehicles into you, an honorable distinction among US roads. :-)

Re:The vacuum of space

[Anonymous Coward]

Like they do in Edison, New Nersey?

Re:The vacuum of space

[Anonymous Coward]

Is this place where you live? I've also seen this phenomenon in other cities in the U.S.

The Asian Space Race

[Anonymous Coward]

Now that the US and Russia are out of the picture there's a new space race, and that's to see which of the southeast asian nations has what it takes to be a spacefaring power. China immediately complained about the launch, Japan is probably trying to figure out how to top this, and Iran is watching from the sidelines wishing it had the money to pull this kind of stunt.

Re:The Asian Space Race

[nullchar]

And that's a good thing! Racing to space for the future of Humanity should be shared by all.

Just because they Indians they cant do it right?

[Anonymous Coward]

The amount of racism in some of these posts disgust me.

Crew

[Anonymous Coward]

Are all religions represented in the crew ? I'm just curious, because there are so many religions in India..

Re:Crew

[Anonymous Coward]

Not sure if serious... -_-

Re:Crew

[Anonymous Coward]

Read this Washington Post article. Watch people here smoke their windings!

You have no right to criticize the publication. They share the same values as all educated and enlightened people (i.e. LIBERALS).

Re: Crew

[Anonymous Coward]

no, libtard. actually no religion is represented at all. mostly because it's unmanned.
or should i say unpersoned.
you stupid fuck.

Re: Crew

[Anonymous Coward]

well, given the choice between limiting births from gays and lesbians or a bunch a dirty indians is a tough choice. but nobody blames the chinese for it do they?

Perhaps...

[quonsar]

...the space program will foster new technology to, you know, do something about THE OPEN RIVERS OF FLOWING SHIT in Calcutta?

Re:Perhaps...

[amicusNYCL]

I think the world's knowledge of shit-controlling technology is pretty up there. If they want to change their sanitation then they will need to demand it.

That's one of the things that the rivers of shit have in common with the US Congress: the only reason they're there is because of apathy.

Re:Perhaps...

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not apathy. When people believe that:

1.Life is MISERY and OPPORTUNITY.
2. people's noncorporeals keep being recycled.
3. One must engage in exotic performances to obtain "release"

The result is what one sees in the pages of National Geographic.

Cosmopolitan lies or racist truths, the choice is yours. How will you sleep at night?

If there's a fault...

[Viol8]

... I hope mission control don't mind waiting on the phone for 20 mins to Helpdesk , then going through a 5 level automated menu which asks them all their details , only to be finally put through to a human who asks all the same details again in an unintelligable accent and then be asked if they're sure the spacecraft is heading for the correct planet and could they double check, Then be put on hold once more and be passed to the customer satisfaction survey dept by mistake.

Re:If there's a fault...

[Anonymous Coward]

Right. I suppose that's what NASA does when it makes unreliable rockets.

Re:Just because they Indians they cant do it right

[Anonymous Coward]

the amount of disgust in your post disgusts me.

I am a bad person

[JSalazar]

I can't help thinking that if Indians in programming forums are indicative of Indian space engineers, this happens in aerospace forums:

- I need interplanetary probe for launch next month. needs to monitor mars. I am very new to this, please help friend.
- This a very broad question. Please start by reading my articles about satellite building.
- Your articles are good i will read later. can you pleas provide also assembled satellite friend?

Re:I am a bad person

[Anonymous Coward]

And I suppose the curious ones will learn by themselves. The rest of them won't have a clue?

Re:I am a bad person

[Anonymous Coward]

You seem to have the impression that only Indians ask questions and questions like that. Stack overflow is available to entire internet you know.

Good Lord!

[kaatochacha]

Can't anyone just say "Good Job India, well done, best of luck on your launch and let's hope everything goes OK, welcome to the club"?
Slashdot is the last place I'd expect huge amounts of "Well, if we can't fix all our problem on Earth, we should never go into space".
Because YOU WILL NEVER SOLVE ALL YOUR PROBLEMS ON EARTH.
Sigh.

Re:Good Lord!

[Anonymous Coward]

We can try. Fatalism is not for everyone.

Re:Good Lord!

[Anonymous Coward]

We can try. Fatalism is not for everyone.

People will never solve all the problems on earth because people are the problem! That's not fatalism, that is accepting reality..

Re:Good Lord!

[Anonymous Coward]

Go India!

This is the best news I've heard all day. Too much spying stuff and other downers.

Re:Just because they Indians they cant do it right

[Anonymous Coward]

What's with the racism here? Most people are good natured here. You ought to ignore the fucktards.

What happenes when there is a problem?

[Anonymous Coward]

So, imagine that you are the flight director and you now need to make a course correction to avoid smashing into the planet.... do you call the help-desk? and if you do, do you press #(whatever number for Spanish) in hopes of getting through to anyone other than a hell-desk denizen named "Robert" (or any other American name that is surely not what their mama named em)?

just wondering....

Re:What happenes when there is a problem?

[Anonymous Coward]

I guess they could try calling NASA. With a high probability of being closed due to sequestration or a government shutdown.

Re:What happenes when there is a problem?

[Anonymous Coward]

idiot, everyone knows you have to push 1 for english

Mod racist parent down

[fiannaFailMan]

Stop modding up racist comments.

Re:Mod racist parent down

[KingMotley]

First of all fianna, Indian isn't a race, so it isn't a racist comment by definition.

Secondly, it isn't racist when you turn a true unbiased fact (a larger than natural distribution of convenient stores are owned/run by those of Indian ancestry).

Now go away.

Re:Mod racist parent down

[Anonymous Coward]

**Stupid** justification. enuf said.

Re:Just because they Indians they cant do it right

[fiannaFailMan]

Me too.

Mod racist parent down.

[fiannaFailMan]

Stop modding up racist comments. They are not funny.

Re:Mod racist parent down.

[Viol8]

*sigh* The liberal lefty knee jerk repost of last resort. I hate to break the news to you but people just laugh at simpletons like you now.

Re:Mod racist parent down.

[geekoid]

Its a racist comment. Based on your defensive reply, you know it.

Being racist isn't OK becasue you were 'just joking'.

Re:Mod racist parent down.

[Anonymous Coward]

Unless certain people here can prove that the speech in question falls into one or more CAREFULLY CARVED EXCEPTIONS to the First Amendment AND/OR those certain people on this forum are willing to kidnap and rendition the person(s) in question, I suggest that those certain people SHUT THE FSCK UP!

You Desis have become TOO SUCCESSFUL to rely on PROTECTED CLASS STATUS or what they term as RESERVATIONS as a CRUTCH.

Re:Mod racist parent down.

[fiannaFailMan]

Don't give me your racist's last defense, the first amendment, because it doesn't work.

Here is the news, mad hatter. The first amendment only stops the government from censoring you. It doesn't stop a private citizen or organization from silencing you. I can still tell you to shut up. So shut your racist trap, you intellectually-challenged racist prick.

Re:Mod racist parent down.

[fiannaFailMan]

Is this the standard response now when racists are called on their bullshit? Start firing back with words like "liberal" and "lefty" as if they're insults?

Fuck you, you conservative racist prick. Fuck you to high heaven.

Re:Mod racist parent down.

[Viol8]

*yawn*

Save it for your school debating society sonny.

Re:Mod racist parent down.

[Viol8]

So which exact part was racist? Be specific. Are Indians a race now because I thought they were a nationality?

Re:Mod racist parent down.

[fiannaFailMan]

Like I said, fuck you.

Mod racist parent down.

[fiannaFailMan]

There's only one answer to that question. Fuck you, you racist piece of shit.

Message to the racists posting here

[fiannaFailMan]

Fuck you.

good thing space is a vacuum

[Anonymous Coward]

If space wasn't evacuated of atoms and molecules, India would have spread their disgusting STENCH to SPACE too!! Imagine that....

Re:good thing space is a vacuum

[Anonymous Coward]

Shut your meat-eating mouth! You know that there are MANY stinky chemicals out in space and it has absolutely ZERO to do with Desis!

Re:Just because they Indians they cant do it right

[Anonymous Coward]

I agree with you. Exepct *most* of these comments seem to have a racistic tone to it. I'm not saying agree with what ever the Indian scientists are doing or whatever ISRO/Indian government has done, but to criticize them just because they are India is by definition racist. If I do ignore the so-called fucktards here, I would maybe end up with a handful of 3 worthy posts, which I suppose corresponds to the average number of intelligent "comments" under any title.

Good Job India!

[geekoid]

Good luck.

A much more interesting title:

[sabt-pestnu]

After Unsuccessful Launch, India's Mars Orbiter Is On Its Way.

For what subset of launches that result in the mars orbiter being on its way could NOT be described as 'successful'?

It cost only $83 millions ?

[Taco Cowboy]

According to the various articles I got online, it is claimed that the cost for India's Mars expedition program is around $83 millions.

http://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/india-to-launch-orbiter-to-mars-next-week--29838.html

http://www.firstpost.com/india/will-isro-mars-mission-start-an-indo-china-space-race-1211933.html

How can it be so cheap ?

Re:It cost only $83 millions ?

[amicusNYCL]

How can it be so cheap ?

Outsourcing.

Re:Just because they Indians they cant do it right

[Anonymous Coward]

and the amount of faux-outrage in response to those posts by social warriors like yourself disgust me. Just because people have doubt that a tech heavy project can't be done well by a country whose residence have made a reputation for themselves by being extremely incompetent yet arrogant enough to partake in just that field doesn't mean that it's racism. Racism would be calling them out for skin color, dress, or the way in which their cultural customs are handled for no reason other than "ew, they're different". I can't believe it's the year 2013 and people still have white guilt (and in the spirit of true equality, I don't care what your actual skin color is. White guilt is a term that can apply to many groups of people).

Feudalism

[NewYork]

Indian regime is spending $1 billion/year on space research where 836 million of their people are starving on 50 cents/day wage slavery.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2480424/VISUAL-EDIT-India-little-better-Ethiopia.html
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/836-million-indians-live-on-less-than-rs-20-a-day/47645-7.html