India's ISRO Successfully Launches 100th Mission 39
An anonymous reader writes "Five decades after a humble start to its space program, the Indian Space Research Organization has successfully launched its 100th mission. From the news article: 'Making history in its space Odyssey, India on Sunday successfully launched its 100th mission with its workhorse PSLV-C21 placing in orbit two foreign satellites in a flawless flight from the spaceport here. The third wholly commercial launch with no Indian satellite was a textbook mission as Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) placed in orbit French spacecraft SPOT 6 and Japanese micro satellite PROITERES some 18 minutes after lift-off at 9:53 a.m..' ISRO has so far launched 62 satellites, one space recovery module, and 37 rockets."
Being Pedantic (Score:4, Insightful)
I'm more impressed with how they managed 100 successful launches with only 37 rockets. Trebuchet-to-orbit isn't as easy as it sounds.
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Space-D mission (Score:2)
100th space mission
With 37 rockets?
More like "100th spaced mission"
Re:Being Pedantic (Score:5, Informative)
I'm more impressed with how they managed 100 successful launches with only 37 rockets.
This is explained in the article. Each rocket launch is considered a "mission". Each satellite placed in orbit is considered a "mission". So if a rocket is launched with two satellites on board, that counts as three "missions".
Maybe this mission counting system was devised by some ex-Arthur Andersen accountants.
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Each rocket launch is considered a "mission". Each satellite placed in orbit is considered a "mission". So if a rocket is launched with two satellites on board, that counts as three "missions".
What happens when a screw falls out in orbit?
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What happens when a screw falls out in orbit?
I believe it is called "a mission of opportunity".
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What happens when a screw falls out in orbit?
these guys [wikipedia.org] have to go collect it.
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This is explained in the article. Each rocket launch is considered a "mission". Each satellite placed in orbit is considered a "mission". So if a rocket is launched with two satellites on board, that counts as three "missions".
Maybe this mission counting system was devised by some ex-Arthur Andersen accountants.
Or maybe some of the people who worked at my previous employer, brought back with them the awesome ideas about software metrics we used :/
Thank you for calling... (Score:1)
Re:Forgive my Americocentricity (Score:5, Insightful)
relinquishing the scientific leadership of the planet
India just put a satellite into low Earth orbit.
America just put a robot rover onto the surface of Mars.
I think your concerns are overstated.
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A large portion of the scientists responsible for putting the robot on Mars? From outside the USA
Re:Forgive my Americocentricity (Score:5, Insightful)
A large portion of the scientists responsible for putting the robot on Mars? From outside the USA
A large portion of the scientists responsible for putting a man on the moon? From outside the USA
A large portion of the scientists responsible for building the first atomic bomb? From outside the USA
A large portion of the scientists responsible for the industrial revolution? From outside the USA
America has always been a nation of immigrants.
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And if you look at the history of American immigration laws, and how they evolved - it might not remain one for long.
foreign (Score:1)
"placing in orbit two foreign satellites"
Aren't all their satellites foreign ? I mean they aren't American are they?
But I suppose space is the next thing to be outsourced...
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Interesting fact: In most of the world, 'American' is foreign.
Slogan.. (Score:1)
-or-
ISRO: You light your candles, while we light ours.
Go India! (Score:2)
The more national organisations and other countries running successful space operations, the more chance all us geeks have a chance of our dreams to take a tourist package into space come true :-)
More seriously - it's got to be a good thing that India can develop and manage its own space program, bringing its own researchers through and increasing its high tech industrial capacity. More space programs means more cross fertilisation of ideas across programs. Perhaps we are finally getting past the faltering
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In twenty years, these "developing countries" are going to be the leaders in science and technology (if they aren't already), have mature, productive space programs and transportation systems, while the USA is still busy arguing whether evolution is the work of Satan himself or whether it's simply the work of the liberal elite.
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the USA is still busy arguing whether evolution is the work of Satan
You need to get yourself a passport and go out into the world and get some perspective. Americans may argue about evolution on talk radio, but Indians kill each other over this stuff. Thousands of Indians have died in religious violence in recent years. The USA may seem religiously extreme compared to Western Europe, but compared to the "developing world", not at all.
Re:Go India! (Score:5, Informative)
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it's got to be a good thing that India can develop and manage its own space program
The "India" part of the development needs to be taken with a grain of salt.
If the "Indian" military is any indication, almost nothing in the "Indian" arsenal of planes, ships, missiles is actually "Indian" in origin.
They have all been pretty much lifted intact from Russian, American, European manufacturers, often even manufactured outside of India, as India lacks the technological infrastructure even to kit-build many of these high-tech systems.
You can start the list of deficiencies with India cannot yet ma
India’s 2013 Mars Mission (Score:1)