Ram's Cafe

Was the Moon Impact Probe (MIP), which was one of the payloads on India's succesfful lunar mission an afterthought and somewhat unnecessary? That seems to be the thrust of this article in Frontline.The article says,

THE primary objective of the Moon Impact Probe (MIP), according to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), was “to demonstrate the technologies required for landing a probe at the desired location on the moon”. It was also intended “to qualify some of the technologies related to future soft landing missions” and to carry out a “scientific exploration of the moon at close distances”. In contrast to the other four Indian experiments, which were well conceived and evolved over time, the MIP, it is argued, was not the optimal experiment to achieve the above.

Do this exercise: read the article very carefully - you will not find any information as to the real source of this story. You will not find any clue as to how the author of this story got this information. Unless you are a student of journalism, you willl likely miss the absence of any attribution. However, from my experience, this is entirely in keeping with the 'tradition' of some journalists, especially in 'The Hindu' and its sister publications, to put out such stories from time to time, without indicating where it originated.

My guess is that  this is a leak by some frustrated member of the project team whose ideas were not respected(?). Look at the absence of any attribution for the views - this is in keeping with the style of 'The Hindu', at least in the past. There used to be 'news stories' about Indian Railways, mostly critical of some proposal by the Railway minister - but without any attribution as to where the story originated. The level of detail in the news story would clearly indicate that it's coming from an insider. Same is the case here. It certainly does not look like a story that was commissioned by Frontline - rather more like a leak from a frustrated party.

Look at the tone - almost like a lament:

The MIP actually was never part of Chandrayaan-1’s original configuration, which included payloads from abroad in response to ISRO’s announcement of opportunity (AO) for proposals from elsewhere. This clearly indicates its lesser importance. Its inclusion probably became imperative because it was mooted by former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. This was subsequently endorsed (uncritically though) in November 2004 by ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair at the International Conference on the Exploration and Utilisation of the Moon in Udaipur.

So, there you have it! The idea to include a moon impact probe apparently originated with Dr. A.P.J.Abdul Kalam, India's former President and one of the leading architects of India's space, nuclear and missile programs. I did a quick check on wikipedia - not necessarily the greatest of sources, but still a great source for quick checks. According to wikipedia,

The probe was a product of former President Abdul Kalam's vision who felt that since the Chandrayaan orbiter was already going so near to the moon, the mission would have more scientific relevance if the probe was included. Kalam believed that the moon could not be left to a few countries and that India should not be left behind. He suggested the probe to ISRO where it was enthusiastically supported. The inclusion of flag on the probe lead to a lot of media chatter about India planting its flag on the moon. The Times of India also reported a political motive on behalf of former president Abdul Kalam as "He believed that if this was done, India could always stake a claim to a portion of the Moon.". At the same time, The Indian Express reported Kalam as saying "no nation can claim the moon as its own. The resources of the moon should be a common property and that is one of the aims of the moon mission."

So, what's wrong with including a payload that's part-scientific, part-symbolic? Do these people who put out this article realize that the entire Apollo program was largely symbolic, just a temporary one-upmanship for the US and NASA over the then Soviet space program? Come on guys, get over it. Be happy that the program has been by and large a success (touch wood), and, if you are religiously inclined, thank God for that. Technology development and demonstration does need luck - by that, I mean, the coming together of so many factors appropriately and as planned. Any small mistake or mishap can render the mission nearly useless. So, get over your pet peeves and share in the joy and satisfaction that so many Indians feel!