On November 5th India sent its first unmanned mission to Mars in the hope of becoming a member of an exclusive group of countries who have successfully sent spacecraft to Mars. The purpose of the mission is to explore the atmosphere on Mars and search for signs of life. If the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is successful, it would be the fourth space agency in the world to reach Mars, following the space agencies of US, Russia, and Europe. Opinions on India’s space mission range. Some see India’s space mission as evidence of a space race emerging in Asia between countries such as India, China, Japan, and South Korea. Also, although India’s Mars mission is the cheapest Mars mission ever undertaken with a cost of $74 million, critics argue that the millions of dollars could have been spent towards alleviating India’s extreme poverty.
However, supporters of the mission state that the space mission will end up benefiting India’s population as a whole. Furthermore, advanced space technology proved to be valuable before Cyclone Phailin hit in October. Extensive evacuation efforts were possible because of prior warnings from weather satellites. Also, the mission would fuel optimism and imagination in India. Nisha Agrawal, the chief executive of the nonprofit organization Oxfam in India, has an interesting perspective on the issue. She argues that India’s status as a world power makes it necessary for India to engage in projects with a global impact such as the Mars mission. “We are not really one country but two in one. And we need to do both things: contribute to global knowledge as well as take care of poor people at home” she said. Her suggestion that India has to maintain these two roles may be controversial, but draws attention to the political and economic considerations India must make as it emerges as a world superpower.
However, supporters of the mission state that the space mission will end up benefiting India’s population as a whole. Furthermore, advanced space technology proved to be valuable before Cyclone Phailin hit in October. Extensive evacuation efforts were possible because of prior warnings from weather satellites. Also, the mission would fuel optimism and imagination in India. Nisha Agrawal, the chief executive of the nonprofit organization Oxfam in India, has an interesting perspective on the issue. She argues that India’s status as a world power makes it necessary for India to engage in projects with a global impact such as the Mars mission. “We are not really one country but two in one. And we need to do both things: contribute to global knowledge as well as take care of poor people at home” she said. Her suggestion that India has to maintain these two roles may be controversial, but draws attention to the political and economic considerations India must make as it emerges as a world superpower.
Links to information:
http://world.time.com/2013/11/05/india-races-to-space-with-a-mission-to-mars/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24729073http://ibnlive.in.com/news/india-sends-mars-mission-into-space-a-symbolic-coup-over-china-japan/432403-62-127.html
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/elements/2013/11/a-mission-to-mars-on-the-cheap.html
- Nitya
http://world.time.com/2013/11/05/india-races-to-space-with-a-mission-to-mars/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24729073http://ibnlive.in.com/news/india-sends-mars-mission-into-space-a-symbolic-coup-over-china-japan/432403-62-127.html
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/elements/2013/11/a-mission-to-mars-on-the-cheap.html
- Nitya