Mission to MARS: Can India afford spending a fortune on such projects?

India made its maiden and successful attempt ‘Mission to Mars’ to send Mars craft. World community looked at India’s mission to Mars with awe and appreciation.

Number of B-schools found it a great topic for group discussion whether India was right to launch this mission after spending a good fortune of amount and in view of the other pressing needs of the country.

The Mission to Mars was announced shortly after China's attempt flopped in 2011 as it failed to leave Earth's atmosphere. Japan also tried this mission in 2003 and failed. India had never before attempted inter-planetary travel. This was the first attempt 

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Key Facts

• The ‘Mangalyaan’ (mars craft) was launched on 5.11.2013 from launchpad at ISRO, Sriharikota with launchvehicle PSLV C25 at 2.38 P.M.
• It was the 300 days journey of the Mangalyaan’(mars craft) from the Earth to MARS
• India became the first Asian Country to reach the Red Planet.
• The cost of the project was Rs.450 Crore (Rs.4.5 bn), less than one sixth of US$455 million earmarked for a Mars probe by NASA.
• It had been carried into orbit by a rocket much smaller than US or Russian ones.
• Small car sized Probe will detect methane in the Martian atmosphere.

Arguments for the Mission to MARS

1. On its successful completion, India will become the first Asian country to achieve this feat. Only the United States, Europe, and Russia have been able to send probes that have orbited or landed on Mars.
2. Indian superiority in the world in general and particularly among its ever threatening neighbours will be established.
3. India has proved that indigenously it can achieve the unexpected at a very low cost as the cost is less than one sixth of the estimated cost of US-NASA mission to be launched later this month.
4. India will become a role model for space programming and other countries may approach India for launching of such crafts.
5. New knowledge and more innovative spheres in space programmes will open for the benefit of human being in the fields of communication, identifying problem areas, solar existence. For example, INSAT’s beamed pictures of approaching Phailin cyclone saved thousands of lives. 

Arguments against the Mission

• India is a poor country, it shouldn’t waste such a huge amount of money which could have been spent elsewhere on employment, health, education and infrastructural development projects that would directly help to the growth of economy.    
• The gain is only satisfaction of ego and not other gain is seen. The country is not going to establish a colony on MARS
• The Mars Craft ‘Mangalyaan’ has a long journey of 300 days to complete. It will take around a month to go out of Earth’s orbit.  If, during this period, it develops any grave technical snag, not only the money spent on it will go down the drain but also it will pose a great threat to Earth as it may crash at some populous area on this human rich planet.
• India, in long run, will more than recoup the money, invested in space programmes. The immediate benefits are difficult to predict. They may be intangible but vital for the country. This mission has however, kindled the fire of imagination among the young minds to dream about the possibilities of tomorrow.

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