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India's Chandrayaan-1 helped discover water on moon's surface

41 points by prads 17y ago

nreece 17y ago
The correct URL is http://beta.thehindu.com/sci-tech/article24322.ece http://beta.thehindu.com/sci-tech/article24322.ece
- prads 17y ago
  Thanks for the link. The site seems to have dropped off the original URL (verified Google Cache).
kingsley_20 17y ago
And it only cost $78M, less than what Google paid for feedburner. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7679818.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7679818.stm
- mahmud 17y ago
  Ouch. Someone linked to a wikipedia list of "most expensive objects" and I couldn't help but notice how many of them were a waste of good money. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_world%27s_most_expensive_single_objects http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_world%27s_most_expensiv...
  - RiderOfGiraffes 17y ago
    I'm intrigued. Firstly, what's bad money? Secondly, of that list, which ones do you think were a waste?
    - mahmud 17y ago
      The war toys and stadiums.
      - catzaa 17y ago
        Hmmm... The ISS seems a waste. How can the ISS cost 37 times more than the MIR space station? Also, why isn't the birds nest staduim in Beijing on the list? Was it cheaper? What about the different canals that was built in the USSR? It is interesting to see that a single B-2 costs more than a space shuttle.
- subbu 17y ago
  Related discussion http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=340107 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=340107
paraschopra 17y ago
Actually it was NASA built instrument that did the discovery but it doesn't really matter to me. Science is science, irrespective of the countries/parties involved.
- nreece 17y ago
  What surprises me a little is why NASA would install the spectrometer on-board a spacecraft by an agency launching its maiden lunar mission.
  - Alterlife 17y ago
    I do not know the facts behind this, but clearly, they made the right decision.
  - paraschopra 17y ago
    Why wouldn't they? They have not much to loose but the instrument. Lunar missions are not scheduled daily and if they are, it is a good idea to send your instruments with it.
  - ShellDragon 17y ago
    May be because it is their "first lunar mission" and not their "first mission"
  - deleted 17y ago
    [deleted]
- FraaJad 17y ago
  Chopraji, You are right. Almost all space missions today, even those of USA are made of international teams. Science has no boundary, nor should it. However, the title appropriately said "..helped discover.." and not "..discovered..". This is India's first lunar mission. I know that it was not a complete success (we lost contact with the mission couple of weeks ago..), but it wasn't a failure either. This mission, which costed a paltry $76M was able to be part of a historical discovery. So, it is appropriate to acknowledge the "Third World Country" which built it.
deleted 17y ago
[deleted]
skant 17y ago
The link seems broken. This is the right one: http://beta.thehindu.com/sci-tech/article24322.ece http://beta.thehindu.com/sci-tech/article24322.ece

41 points by prads 17y ago

The correct URL is http://beta.thehindu.com/sci-tech/article24322.ece http://beta.thehindu.com/sci-tech/article24322.ece

prads 17y ago
Thanks for the link. The site seems to have dropped off the original URL (verified Google Cache).

kingsley_20 17y ago

And it only cost $78M, less than what Google paid for feedburner. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7679818.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7679818.stm

mahmud 17y ago
Ouch. Someone linked to a wikipedia list of "most expensive objects" and I couldn't help but notice how many of them were a waste of good money. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_world%27s_most_expensive_single_objects http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_world%27s_most_expensiv...
- RiderOfGiraffes 17y ago
  I'm intrigued. Firstly, what's bad money? Secondly, of that list, which ones do you think were a waste?
  - mahmud 17y ago
    The war toys and stadiums.
    - catzaa 17y ago
      Hmmm... The ISS seems a waste. How can the ISS cost 37 times more than the MIR space station? Also, why isn't the birds nest staduim in Beijing on the list? Was it cheaper? What about the different canals that was built in the USSR? It is interesting to see that a single B-2 costs more than a space shuttle.
subbu 17y ago
Related discussion http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=340107 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=340107

paraschopra 17y ago

Actually it was NASA built instrument that did the discovery but it doesn't really matter to me. Science is science, irrespective of the countries/parties involved.

nreece 17y ago
What surprises me a little is why NASA would install the spectrometer on-board a spacecraft by an agency launching its maiden lunar mission.
- Alterlife 17y ago
  I do not know the facts behind this, but clearly, they made the right decision.
- paraschopra 17y ago
  Why wouldn't they? They have not much to loose but the instrument. Lunar missions are not scheduled daily and if they are, it is a good idea to send your instruments with it.
- ShellDragon 17y ago
  May be because it is their "first lunar mission" and not their "first mission"
- deleted 17y ago
  [deleted]
FraaJad 17y ago
Chopraji, You are right. Almost all space missions today, even those of USA are made of international teams. Science has no boundary, nor should it. However, the title appropriately said "..helped discover.." and not "..discovered..". This is India's first lunar mission. I know that it was not a complete success (we lost contact with the mission couple of weeks ago..), but it wasn't a failure either. This mission, which costed a paltry $76M was able to be part of a historical discovery. So, it is appropriate to acknowledge the "Third World Country" which built it.

deleted 17y ago

[deleted]

skant 17y ago

The link seems broken. This is the right one: http://beta.thehindu.com/sci-tech/article24322.ece http://beta.thehindu.com/sci-tech/article24322.ece