I don’t know much about the Indian space program. Was this a big step up for them?
Well, it was supposed to be. This is a pretty impressive project by India, it would have shown up a lot of their muzzie competition (like Pakistan, Iran) and I’m sure this won’t be the last gasp. For one thing, they don’t have Obama ruining things.
Mars has been difficult to bullseye. The very first interplanetary probe attempt was the USSR’s — trying to hit Mars. Khruschev made a cryptic public statement (since the Soviets always kept the specifics under wraps until the mission was over, and then only revealed the successes) that was apparently in reference to this Mars-shot, then nothing materialized because of the failure. The first US interplanetary success was a few years later, and managed to beam back a short series of nice fly-by shots of Mars — but the trajectory was a little off, so the probe didn’t enter gravitational capture and orbit. That was in 1965. The craters were a sensational find.
http://www.space.com/18787-mariner-4.html
Russia’s Second Shot at Phobos May Return Bits of Mars As Well
universetoday.com
Posted on 11/11/2013 6:55:14 PM PST by BenLurkin
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3090233/posts