back to article India eyes man in space by 2016

India has announced its bid to the fourth nation to put a man in space, and says it'll put a pair of astronauts into a seven-day low-Earth orbit in 2016. According to the International Business Times, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is firming up just what "infrastructure and facilities" the $2.76bn project will …

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  1. sig
    Thumb Down

    Priorities?

    Surely clean water and sanitation for the millions who lack it now should be a priority, not participation in this international willy-waving contest.

    1. ravenviz Silver badge
      Stop

      Re: Priorities?

      Demonstration of capability might assist the Indian economy far greater than spending the money on a perpetual problem now.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      No, not really...

      It's an incentive for Indian companies to develop high technologies which can be exported and lift even more people out of poverty. China has become the most successful country in history at uplift, not by rural aid, but by industrialisation.

      Just as Victorian Britain had the slums of the East End which were every bit as unpleasant as those of Mumbai, it was also capable of scientific and engineering accomplishments such as the Beagle voyage and the Crystal Palace.

  2. Flugal
    Thumb Up

    Excellent

    Looking forward to all the "surely you should feed the starving first" comments....

    Money well spent I think, with the improvements this could ultimately lead to in terms of use of satellites to monitor and improve agriculture, motivate young engineers, and generally help lift the country's moral by believing great things can be achieved.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Down

      Re: Excellent

      And how do you think the countless thousands/millions living in Indian slums are going to find out about their shiny new space programme?

      Besides, (and I don't mean for this to sound Daily Mail-esque) I think the millions that the UK Government give to India each year would be better spent on medicine and shelter than rocket fuel.

      1. eamani.s
        Thumb Down

        Are you kiddin me?

        Stop crying about the millions you are giving to indian government. It is nothing when compared to what you have looted from us over the last century. when british india took over in 1857, india used to account for over 20% of world's GDP, by 1947, it accounted for less than 1%. You got rich while we got poorer. Now you are concerned about few millions you are giving to us. Also technological advances are very important for any country. And India is spending less than 1% of GDP on space explorations, while over 20% for infrastructure and rural employment programs. So please stop worrying about our poor, we know how to help them. In 50 years from now, I'm sure you'll be asking money from us, we'll be critical about how you spent it. Then we'll see wat you have say.

    2. sig
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      Re: Excellent

      So, they'll be launching satellites to locate exploitative landlords, indentured workers and areas without access to clean water?

      Or maybe those inspired young engineers will go and create relevant products: 'iPoo, locates functioning toilet facilities using superior satellite technology'.

      1. AlistairJ

        Wot no loo icon?

        That iPoo would prove very useful in many of our British towns and cities.

  3. Paul 75

    pair of astronauts into a seven-day low-Earth orbit in 2016

    Presumably, they will have different names, but exactly the same CV.

  4. James 47
    Thumb Down

    @Flugal

    I'm glad you're looking forward to those comments, so am I. Because they're completely justified.

    The program won't help the Indian farmer one bit. India prefers to let the rest of the world sorry about them, so it can concentrate on pointless space missions.

  5. Arclight
    Joke

    Who's paying for this?

    The UK gives about £1bn in aid to India, to help the poverty stricken millions in what is a 'developing' nation. A country with a bigger economy, and more millionaires, than the UK, and a nation that can fritter away $2bn on putting a man on a firework.

    I'm sure the child workers earning £1 a month stitching Nike shirts are over joyed at their nations 'progress'

    Joke alert because they're avin a larf

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Unhappy

    Nice to see they have their priorities right...

    Douglas Alexander says the money [£825m] will help alleviate poverty in a country where 828 million people live on less than $2 a day

    So can we have our money back?

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/nov/18/douglasalexander-development

  7. Sandeep Jandu

    re: Priorities

    Whats the point. The country has a lot of corrupt people starting from those in charge ending at those that actually do the work (or not do the work) that the money would never go where its supposed to anyway.

    Yep. I've been there and I've seen it first hand.

  8. Wize
    FAIL

    ""Delhi, we have a problem"

    "You are being held in a queue and will be answered by one of our operators as soon as possible. Remember, your call is important to us"

  9. ach20
    Alert

    Toilets first!

    A third of the population don't even have access to proper toilets. The government should sort out this basic human necessity before launching something that many consider a luxury!

    1. TeeCee Gold badge
      Coat

      Re: access to proper toilets

      I think you'll find that's a third of the population plus two for a seven day period in 2016.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Toilets? Whatever for?

      The average chav uses lifts and stairways as his toilet. I've reported people emptying their bladders into an ATM at South Quay DLR on multiple occasions.

      With a space program we may eventually be able to get away and leave the planet to the ATM-wetting chavs...

  10. Dom 3

    Budget?

    Do they actually *have* the money or are they just talking about how they'd spend a couple of billion if they actually had it? Don't forget folks, India is a democracy and if that's how they want to spend their money then it's none of our business. And nor is it as if Russia, China, and even the US are without poverty problems of their own.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re; Budget?

      India had a growth rate of about 7% last year. I'm guessing they can afford it.

  11. Ant Evans
    Go

    What's space offshoring called?

    Maybe the UK could outsource its space programme to ISRO? Win-win.

  12. Kevin 6
    Flame

    Great

    Now there going to outsource space exploration. Poor astronauts who are going to be losing their jobs to some guy in india now they can know what the IT people face.

  13. TeeCee Gold badge
    Grenade

    I can see the testing phase now.

    "What do you mean it isn't airtight? Fix it!"

    "It was never specifically stated in the specification that it had to maintain atmospheric pressure while it was actually in space. This will require additional cost on a time and materials basis."

  14. Stratman

    title

    Presumably they're diverting some of my taxes, in the form of foreign aid, from their nuclear weapons programme to fund it.

    Thanks Gordon.

  15. Moinak Ghosh
    Thumb Up

    People misunderstand and whine

    How many people here know that the Indian Space Research Organization does commercial satellite launches and satellite manufacturing for other countries among other ventures. It has earned more than $200 million in revenue in FY 2008-09 and expects a 25% jump in revenue in FY 2009-10. So as it develops better technology it is also putting that to use.

    A country needs to make progress on all fronts and that is Not limited to healthcare, sanitation and infrastructure. Progress in basic science, research, space science, technology etc. must not be held hostage to other issues. A vibrant growing economy can only be achieved by a holistic progress.

    IMHO the biggest problems that India faces are that of population growth and corruption. It is the rampant corruption from the lowest to the highest levels in society that is screwing up equitable development througout the country, creating highly skewed wealth distribution and driving up cost of living. A lot of the poverty and related problems are due to that.

    I have seen beggars in San Francisco for eg. and even given food to a person. Would you hold NASA responsible for that ?

  16. No, I will not fix your computer
    Stop

    Meh...

    In America, 35.9 million people live below the poverty line (which includes 12.9 million children)

    It cost $25 billion to put apollo 11 on the moon and they want to spend $20 billion a year, the ISS costs $3 billion a year.

    Don't point fingers at India, there are worse offenders.

  17. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Happy

    UK outsourcing their space launches

    Theyv'e done so since 1970, when they cancelled Black Arrow. Mostly because it was felt that this "Space business" would never make any real money and besides, those nice Americans could always be relied upon to sort them out. Special relationship and all that.

  18. Toshiro
    Thumb Up

    Cry babies...

    Helloooo!

    India doesn't need your friggin' paltry 1 billion aid.

    Take your patronising attitudes to your own fu%$&*g ghettos, if you care enough.

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