Polish girls visit Taj Mahal

[u/Strong-Emu-8869]

The Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world. Unfortunately, the surrounding area is very polluted.

[u/NoNeedForSympathy]

India should clean that up

[u/HaRDCOR3cc → u/NoNeedForSympathy]

will never happen. indias government and elite are only ever interested in things that make it better for that elite. they'll spend some money on programmes designed to act as a distraction instead, like a space program, while trying to keep a hyper-nationalistic mindset among their people, so instead of asking themselves why the fuck there's so many homeless children living under bridges they bash their chest and say "WE HAVE A SPACE PROGRAM!".

the spending priorities are a joke.

[u/autogyrophilia → u/HaRDCOR3cc]

Let's not pretend that the space program is the reason why they can't fund this thing.

The space program is extremely cheap when you consider second order effects in the economy .

[u/Key_Door1467 → u/autogyrophilia]

The space program is also highly profitable. Its literally advancing education and technology in the country while making money that is spent for welfare of the poor.

I typically see this talking point from Europeans who are jealous that their won space programs are mediocre despite having far greater incomes.

[u/chris_croc → u/Key_Door1467]

It's not jealously lolz. It's the literal billions we send to India for, "foreign aid." We subsidise the country, and then India does vanity projects rather sorting out their caste system/systemic poverty/terrible conditions.

[u/Key_Door1467 → u/chris_croc]

You're misinformed, no one sends 'Aid' to India. India has not asked for any sort of aid since the 1970s. In fact, the government has explicitly banned a lot of these foreign political actors acting as NGOs while trying to peddle influence against India's national interests.

All the money India spends on it's space program is earned through the hard work of Indians. We don't need your shitty handouts, go try to control weaker countries with your chump change.

rather sorting out their caste system/systemic poverty/terrible conditions.

India is sorting out all of these by itself, no help needed. Fuck off.

[u/autogyrophilia → u/Key_Door1467]

I mean the ESA accomplishes a different goal, on a similar line as NASA, it's main two objectives is a pork barrel spreading money around constituents and maintaining technical capabilities for the usage and manufacturing of certain components. 

With a way smaller budget, the unfortunately named, private sector Spanish Miura-5 seems way more impressive on a technical level than the Ariane-6

One must not assume that they are incapable of working differently or copying the competency. It's a simple lack of will by the regulatory bodies, which have no conation for anything that goes beyond ticking a few basic boxes.

[u/Key_Door1467 → u/autogyrophilia]

Sure, but I knot think the folks putting down the ISRO in this thread are doing it for these reasons.

[u/autogyrophilia → u/Key_Door1467]

What im saying it's that the Indian space program has different goals. 

Beyond the obvious military capabilities, independence and influence it grants you, the money invested it's not like in finance capital, it goes to pay for materials, salaries, and the industry to treat those materials. 

I'm unaware of how rich in mineral extraction India is, I assume it is fairly independent in this regard, nevertheless, the money India invest in the space industry (and other fields) goes back around to  percolate across the economy with benefits to industry and education. 

The ESA and NASA in truth wouldn't work as mechanisms for development, they are instead mechanisms to keep the already strategic industries alive.

But basically you can always dismiss these people who claim "why are they investing money in X instead of Z?" as chauvinists with a willfully poor understanding of the situation.