India launches first Moon mission

[RSS News]

India successfully launches the unmanned Chandrayaan 1 spacecraft - the country's first mission to the Moon.

(Feed provided by BBC News | Have your Say (http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/talking_point/default.stm))

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

Missions like this are the bread and butter of space science, and while not particularly spectacular, are still vitally important. I'm glad that India is able to participate in advancing human knowledge in such a manner.

[apathy maybe]

Someone I know congratulates the large proportion of Indians (I think about 40% or more) who earn less then one dollar a day on a successful space launch.

I do too.

We both agree that actually, this is a very cheap launch, and that the country (all countries indeed) spends far too much on the military, and the benefits from space travel are worth the (relatively small) cost.

Now if only the Yanks (and of course everyone else) would spend less on the military and more on actually useful capacity building in other countries.

[Dr Mindbender]

part of me welcomes this ( a blow for human progress and a blow against the american hegemony of space domination) and part of me wonders how much of this is intended as a shot across the bows against Pakistan.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

part of me welcomes this ( a blow for human progress and a blow against the american hegemony of space domination) and part of me wonders how much of this is intended as a shot across the bows against Pakistan.

Uh, they're right next to each other. India doesn't need to be able to launch a moon rocket to threaten Pakistan. They can just roll up some artillery at the border and start shooting away. At most they'll use SRBMs.

[nighthawk]

a shot across the bows against Pakistan.


Just to add to NoXion's post - all space missions are launched towards east.


It's interesting that neither China nor India are not saying anything about finding evidence of American lunar missions. A lot of evidence point out that it was faked (no engine noise on landing - it should be around 140dB, cross-hairs on photos, absence of radiation damage on photos, etc).

[Dr Mindbender]

Just to add to NoXion's post - all space missions are launched towards east.




then why did the soviet union putting missiles in Northern Siberia to threaten america with? My understanding is that in a nuclear flashpoint they would have flown north over the pole (the shortest possible distance).

Also in cold war britain there was coined the term '4 minute warning' a reference to how long soviet missiles would take to reach britain as opposed to america it would take 30 minutes so these missiles are perfectly capable of flying in any direction.

And @ Noxion, i think the practicalities are a moot point, this is partly military dickwaving to say, ''if you try anything we will beat you cause our toys are better than yours''.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

then why did the soviet union putting missiles in Northern Siberia to threaten america with? My understanding is that in a nuclear flashpoint they would have flown north over the pole (the shortest possible distance).

Also in cold war britain there was coined the term '4 minute warning' a reference to how long soviet missiles would take to reach britain as opposed to america it would take 30 minutes so these missiles are perfectly capable of flying in any direction.

And what's that got to do with a single scientific rocket launched by India?


And @ Noxion, i think the practicalities are a moot point, this is partly military dickwaving to say, ''if you try anything we will beat you cause our toys are better than yours''.

If it's military dickwaving why are they studying the moon?


It's interesting that neither China nor India are not saying anything about finding evidence of American lunar missions. A lot of evidence point out that it was faked (no engine noise on landing - it should be around 140dB, cross-hairs on photos, absence of radiation damage on photos, etc).

Look (http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/tv/foxapollo.html) here (http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/misc/apollohoax.html).

[Dr Mindbender]

And what's that got to do with a single scientific rocket launched by India?
Nothing, it was a rebuttal to Nighthawk's claim that space rockets are only launched in an easternly direction.




If it's military dickwaving why are they studying the moon?
while this mission is great for india on a national level (jobs and international interest and so fourth) i highly doubt they will bring back much more meaningful science after several american manned missions. We already know more about the moon than the bottom of the ocean, if this was purely about bringing back knowledge the money would have been better spent on high pressure resistant submersible craft.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

Nothing, it was a rebuttal to Nighthawk's claim that space rockets are only launched in an easternly direction.

ICBMs are a special case as they are weapons of war, targetted at a part of the Earth's surface. As far as I know, the reason that most space rockets are launched in an easterly direction is so as to get a boost from the Earth's rotation.


while this mission is great for india on a national level (jobs and international interest and so fourth) i highly doubt they will bring back much more meaningful science after several american manned missions. We already know more about the moon than the bottom of the ocean, if this was purely about bringing back knowledge the money would have been better spent on high pressure resistant submersible craft.Just because we know more about the Moon's surface does not mean that there isn't more that we can find out about it.

[Dr Mindbender]

ICBMs are a special case as they are weapons of war, targetted at a part of the Earth's surface. As far as I know, the reason that most space rockets are launched in an easterly direction is so as to get a boost from the Earth's rotation.

I understood that point but it doesnt prove they cant be fired to the west. If not i dont understand why it would take one to reach london far sooner than new york from Russia.



Just because we know more about the Moon's surface does not mean that there isn't more that we can find out about it.
True, but given India's comparitively smaller scope i very much doubt they will find anything america hasnt.

What i think india and china should do is club their resources together and go for a manned mars mission before america does. With the setbacks to the shuttle fleet and the american public's waning interest in space since columbia i think they would have a good chance considering their strides in this area in recent years.

[Revy]

I want an International Space Program, I think the competition is pointless. The International Space Station seems to be a precursor to that. Instead of competing lunar and Martian space programs they can unify all the programs and co-operate. I think it was rather hegemonic how a U.S. flag was planted on the Moon and I would hate to see that repeated on Mars (with any national flag).

[Dr Mindbender]

I want an International Space Program, I think the competition is pointless. The International Space Station seems to be a precursor to that. Instead of competing lunar and Martian space programs they can unify all the programs and co-operate. I think it was rather hegemonic how a U.S. flag was planted on the Moon and I would hate to see that repeated on Mars (with any national flag).

i agree completely but i think militarism and the capitalist competition orientated hegemony will always prevent a truly international space program because it would set too much of a precedence. Personally i just hope under the way things are that the capitalist domination of space becomes as unprevailant as possible through the emergence of more 'progressive' countries like Russia and China.

I really hope i don't see a martian or lunar mcdonalds in my lifetime!

[nighthawk]

the reason that most space rockets are launched in an easterly direction is so as to get a boost from the Earth's rotation.

Exactly. When you are launching a space mission you need to achieve certain velocity (around 8 km/s) to put space ship in orbit, or to launch it further. Linear speed of Earth's rotation adds to the speed of rocket, that's why launches are the most efficient on equator (linear velocity is over 400 m/s).

Missiles can be launched in any direction, because they don't go into orbit, so they travel at much lower velocities. Sorry for the offtopic.

[Revy]

I always wondered why they launch from Florida but Mission Control is in Houston, Texas.....I remember going to Cocoa Beach right near Canaveral launch center, to see it launch up close, my sister was excited because it was supposed to be the first female commander and she at that time wanted to be an astronaut and she was all inspired by female astronauts. It didn't launch because they canceled it so that sucked. But I've seen the shuttle launch all the way from Jacksonville. It was so cool, it was during the night, I don't know if it's visible during the day though, that's the only time I tried to watch it.