Yesterday was a proud moment for all Indians. It was the placing of the Indian tricolour on the Moon’s surface on Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s birthday. The Indian flag was painted on the sides of the Moon Impact Probe (seen above), one of the 11 payloads of the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, that successfully hit the lunar surface today at 20:31 hrs (8:31 pm) IST. This is the first Indian-built object to reach the surface of the moon. The modern Indian space programme was initiated in 1962 when Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was the Prime Minister of India.
I have been reading in some sections of media where critics are arguing against spending on space programs in a country like India, when much has to be done here for Poverty eradication, Healthcare and Literacy. I don’t see merit in this argument. If you say that space can be explored only when everything is completed on the ground then no country can qualify for doing it – ever. I am against arms race and space wars, but scientific space programs are a must for a developing nation like India. It has several benefits including Employment, Challenge, and Ambition for youngsters without which literacy or poverty eradication becomes meaningless.
What do you think, please post your comments?