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Indian Mars Probe Successfully Enters Sun-Centric Orbit
New submitter palemantle writes with this excerpt from The Hindu, updating our earlier mention of the successful launch of India's Mars-bound probe: "In a remarkably successful execution of a complex manoeuvre, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) fired the propulsion system on board the spacecraft for a prolonged duration of 23 minutes from 0049 hours on Sunday. In space parlance, the manoeuvre is called Trans-Mars Injection (TMI). ISRO called it 'the mother of all slingshots.' Celebrations broke out at the control centre of the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) at Bangalore from where the spacecraft specialists gave commands for the orbiter's 440 Newton engine to begin firing. The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), also known as Mangalyaan, is designed to demonstrate the technological capability to reach Mars orbit. But the $72m (£45m) probe will also carry out experiments, including a search for methane gas in the planet's atmosphere."
Our chief engineer is trying to deploy a make shift solar sail.
Countdown to a flood of unfunny, racist Indian call center jokes...
Seriously, my humble congrats to the team on their success so far. We need more players in the space game, and knowledge gained will hopefully benefit everyone.
On a more philosophical note, I'd love to see this benefit India as a whole by pointing out to everyone just how insignificant we ALL are in the grand scheme of the universe. While they've "officially" abolished the caste system, it's still there in a lot of ways. The more people realize that Earth is but a tiny speck, the more people will (hopefully...I can dream, right?) begin to treat each other better, especially those deemed to be in a "lower class" by some arbitrary rules that nobody alive has any connection to anymore. Actually, it would be nice if we could all work toward that, not just Indian society.
"So after all this, you make my case for me. To end this stalemate, you must die..."
While I congratulate them on the outstanding technical achievement of this and other feats of their space program, it is a country where any and all available funds need to be going towards resolving the massive poverity, corruption and inequality issues. Over half of the nation's population is poor, 21% of their diseases are water-related,and only 33% even have access to what would be considered normal sanitation facilities. Charities exist by the dozens to deal with a variety of issues in India in trying to clean up these problems, and here is their government spending millions on space missions. To me, that just seems grossly irresponsible. :/
I propose the following be applied to posts predicting racist posts:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatulence_humor#Assigning_of_blame
Incidentally, this was a new one for me: "Whoever thunk it stunk it."
India's Mars probe finally leaves Earth-bound orbits on the 1st of December 2013.
On the very same day, China is set to launch its first lunar lander.
Both India and China are from Asia.
Where are the Europeans ?
Where are the Americans ?
What the heck happened to the usually technologically more advanced societies of the Western countries ?
Asia is playing catch up very very fast, and before long, they might even get ahead of you guys !
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
India is like another planet. I had the opportunity to live in India in 1996-1997 and work heavily with Indians. They are such a pleasure to work with (I was working in agriculture) and things go by so softly over there (in Chennai - Manapakkam - at least). I remember thinking that, it felt how I assume it felt in America back in the 40's. I hope that India is able to weave itself into a respectable position with other first-world countries, even if only for the first-world country's sake - for the sake of remembering how to work together as a team for a noble cause.
Politics; n. : A religion whereby man is god.
I don't think that's what GP said.
GP asked "where are the Europeans and Americans?", perhaps pointing out that lately the US and EU countries are only in the news for fail of various kinds.
In the fifties and again from about 1985-2000, all the big space and science news, the big new machines, etc. were all coming mainly from the US and the UK. About 15 years ago, something happened such that the US in no longer the leading nation it once was. Perhaps that's what GP is referring to.
Excellent work by our scientists and engineers at ISRO.
Mangalyaan is thus far proving:
1. How reliable PSLV series is for commercial space-launch.
2. How far India has come in mastery over orbital mechanics - witness the precise application of Oberth effect. This isn't just your granddads Hohmann slingshot. At least not yet.
3. Setting benchmark pricing for Mars transit at USD 70 Mn. for 485 Kg payload viz. 144K USD per Kg.
4. Generating huge impact among school kids. Visits to Nehru planetarium are no longer about US this and Russia that... even though we owe them for being pioneers.
I look forward to the next logical extension viz. manned-mission with the Indian flag atop Olympus Mons.
Varun
When I think of the Sun and science, I can't help but think of the James Bond movie Moonraker where the opposing teams of astronauts / space marines are killing each other in Earth orbit with space lasers, one guy gets hit, and he starts to fall into the Sun.
to India, and to ISRO. Excellent engineering. I am genuinely glad for them to have succeeded here. The more countries master this, the better it is for the exploration of space, for technology, and maybe even for peace: engineers employed at carrying out TMI are not working on, say, ICMBs and their ballistics. Goes true also for China, Russia, the US.
Religous speak to God. Insane are spoken to by God. When all shut up, one can finally hear Shostakovich in peace
NASA launched the MAVEN probe for Mars on November 18. Now, this probe is India's first Mars probe, so it is special in that regard. It was launched on a rocket weaker than the Delta II. Given all the hoopla Iran has been getting for its rocket development, I wonder when it will launch its first probe outside of the Earth system.
That's completely wrong. In fact, we are spending a larger and larger portion of our budget on social programs:
http://www.aaas.org/spp/rd/Hist/BudGDP.jpg
http://thf_media.s3.amazonaws.com/infographics/2012/10/SR-fed-spending-numbers-2012-p2-2-chart-3_HIGHRES.jpg
Science, infrastructure, and other spending that benefits everyday citizens is being squeezed out by ineffective welfare programs.
Is it just me, or does anyone else need a screen shot of the path in a Kerbal Space simulation?
They I hear the term "slingshot" (from TFS), I imagine a multi-pass loop around earth making a gravitational slingshot out part Earth's sphere of influence.
The Apollo program was an interesting beast. It coupled a quasi government agency up with private industry to produce the hardware and software necessary to land us on the Moon and return us safely. A lot of people don't realize that the Apollo program had pieces in almost every single state in the union. My uncle worked designing the seals for the spacecraft and space suits here in Rhode Island.
And inside every State House in the Union there's a piece of Moon rock. Yeah, that's where they went.
Plus the U.S. is heavily involved in the International Space Station and in another project which I find more interesting and while terrestrial it's basis is in the stars. It's the ITER project. The U.S. is one of the sponsors of that project too. Fusion my friend - or commercial fusion.
A slingshot speeds up a projectile. Planets slingshot space probes, making them travel much faster than propellants alone could accomplish. Do you play catch with a slingshot? In this case, the probe was slowed down by a planet. A reverse slingshot, if anything.
I come here for the love
Ghosh, Rosie, I'd love to surf on over there, but my nurse is leaving, so no more channel flipping tonight for me. I'm sure that once there whatever fee might be involved in pursuing my life's dreams would be most nominal and certain to be applied only to defray necessary expenses.
Speaking of which, I could well be in a most wonderful position to make a substantial investment in this regard, as I've been left a rather embarrassingly large stack of old treasury notes in a safe deposit box which belonged to my dear recently departed uncle, a most kindly gentleman who entrusted these bonds to me in the hopes I might better myself.
Unfortunately what with my rather extensive life-support needs and their attendant, er, attendants, I'm unable to get across the country to pick them up - a task which may not be delegated according to the bank's officers. There is a possible solution, in that a professional friend at one of my city's consulates (which I fear must remain nameless out of respectful discretion) has most generously offered me the free use of the embassy's private jet if only I can provide for the small cost of the fuel needed. For the pittance of but $74,000USD then the task is complete. (Needless to say, whomever was instrumental in providing such a trifling investment would be generously rewarded; I was thinking a, um, finder's fee, shall we call it? on the order of 1/3 that amount might be a proper gesture of gratitude, don't you? - plus expenses, of course. If you could but help in this time of need against what promises to be a large windfall, I would truly be most thankful in a remunerative fashion.
Please respond to lynchspammers@upthine.org. I anxiously await your no doubt kindly, generous, and humbling missive.
Nonsense, the American space program is far ahead of the rest of the world. Who has rovers on Mars? who has done massive inventory of planets around other stars? who has craft half way to Pluto? Who has craft orbiting Mercury to map the planet, that discovered ice and organics at its poles?
And the Chinese are starting to reach for the planets. With humans. We're redoing versions of what we have done before. And while the Chinese are playing catch up, as well as the Indians, we are not going any further than what we are now.
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
the USA is the only country to send men to another world. the Chinese talk of walking on the moon in 2025.
the USA is the only country to send men to another world. the Chinese talk of walking on the moon in 2025.
So far. So in a few years, you'll be able to say "Well, yeah - but we were first!" BFHD
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
first let's see them up their launch payload capacity by a factor of 30 from their current biggest rocket
Maybe you've forgot how those people like JP Morgan and Carnegie would likewise destroy people that had great ideas like Nikolai Tesla or prey on the scientists that moved from war-torn Germany/Europe to the 'land of opportunity' (eg. Wernher von Braun)
Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
It doesn't matter. If you think Tesla was the big loser who was somehow "destroyed" by JP Morgan, the fact remains that the age of the great industrialists was way back then. The claim was that today is the period of the great American industrial empires. To anybody with any idea of American history, that idea is preposterous. Today's companies are primarily owned by millions of grandma's via their 401K.
I happen to disagree with the assertion that Tesla was destroyed - we both know his name, despite the fact that he was more talk than action.
A parallel /. article is 'Millionaire Plans Mission To Mars In 2018'.
It is very sad to see such extremities; each of the 1.237 billion (1.237E9 or 1.237E12 depending on your persuasion but either way many more than this now) Indians lobs in an average of 5.8c whilst one millionaire (ie one person) can attempt a similar sort of Mars expedition.