Only Russia ( former USSR) in 1959, US in 1960 (manned mission in 1969) , European Space Agency, Japan and China have ever ventured to reach unmanned missions to the moon. Of this only US has conducted the first manned mission in 1969 and followed up with 5 more upto 1976, the Apollo series.
European Space Agency did it in 2003, Japan and China in 2007 and we have managed in 2008 .. India's is the 68 th moon mission ever ..
We managed the difficult Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) successfully on Nov 8 th, the first time on our maiden mission. The US did it only after 6 failures and the USSR failed 13 times .. Also we managed the moon mission at one fourth the cost of other comparable missions.. Does that testify something related to our technological prowess, ie. our cost competency and technological superiority ??
We are matching step by step with China, our technological competitor and neighbour, the only international player and threat in the Indian radar as of now. China is getting a little uncomfortable now and then. All other nations are slowly fading into insignificance given their complacency and failure to provide any real competitive challenge in terms of costs, technology and human capital .. The slowly evolving grim economic scenario and their loosening grip on reality, can only add to our comfort levels (and future complacency, too.. so beware ..)
Even though Chinese media have been downplaying out lunar mission success, ( for obvious reasons..), together, we can do wonders. We have the necessary means and measures to work together for the betterment of humanity. It is in the interests of the other nations to keep us at loggerheads, aloof and separate.
If we work together we can give the necessary leadership to the world as we did just three hundred years back, (controlling 40 - 50 % of world trade), before colonialists and the dominating whites separated us apart with their version of patriotism ( Samuel Johnson never had any problems coming to terms with his convenient contemporary interpretation..) .. Our aspirations are very legitimate given that the colonialists never had any prick of conscience with their version of patriotism, dominating and enslaving host populations.
Our leadership ( given our civilisational superiority) will not be with the evil intent of the colonial powers, but for betterment of humanity and the greater common good !!
george..
No comments:
Post a Comment