Posted on 09/05/2023 5:25:55 AM PDT by Twotone
...The cost of the Chandrayaan-3 mission was about US$75 million, which, as John pointed out, is less than the cost of the Barbie movie.
If you want to be nitpicky, you might quibble that that doesn't include the cost of the first two less successful Chandrayaan space missions. Okay, total expenditures on the Indian space programme since 2003 are approx $140 million - which is still less than the Barbie movie.
Okay, I don't want to beat up on Barbie, because, as you know, our friend Andrew Lawton is a huge fan. So let's use instead the cinematic example the Indian PM gave - an agreeable if largely forgotten Sandra Bullock/George Clooney pic from a decade back. Here is how Mr Modi put it in 2014:
'Gravity' Cost More Than Indian Space Mission, Says Prime Minister
"I have heard about the film 'Gravity.' I am told the cost of sending an Indian rocket to space is less than the money invested in making the Hollywood movie," Modi said.
Nine years later that's still true: India can land a spaceship on the moon for less than the cost of an American movie about a space mission.
But let's set aside the showbiz comparisons. As I said, the total cost of the Indian space programme, since 2003, is about $140 million - or seven million per annum. What can you get from American government for seven million bucks a year?
Nothing. That's a rounding error in the federal budget. In fact, it's more like a tenth of a rounding error. If you take seven million bucks and add another $270 million to it, you get the 2024 budget for the "Manufacturing Extension Partnership" - which "offers advisory services to small and medium enterprises".
(Excerpt) Read more at steynonline.com ...
Considering how much aid the US has given India over the years, Indian taxpayers likely didn’t pay for it anyway.
Imho that’s a great point …..
Wonder who's slush fund THAT goes in.
It finds its way back to the Uni-Party coffers. That’s why it’s considered sacrilege in congress to even mention a reduction in foreign aid. Because a nice percentage of it comes back to congress in the form of fat, overstuffed manila envelopes that come flying in over the transom of the office door. That’s how a freshman pol can arrive in DC a virtual pauper, and depart a bit later, a millionaire.
The Soviet/Russian space program never had the glitz or the glamour that ours did, but at the end of the day, theirs is still standing.
.
And ours is standing still.
And ours is standing still.
Our government has too much of our money to waste. They could cut taxes by half and still be awash with enough funds to waste if they were smart enough to down size government by at least 40%.
Chinese are the 2nd only to SpaceX and then there’s ula.
The Russians are so broke they are getting to be unable to keep MAD going with sensors. Russia is a pathetic loser lost cause
When the bulk of our money is spent on people and things that don’t produce anything tangible it’s no wonder we’re headed off the cliff.
Wishing the best for Mark’s health issues. What a great mind.
indian STEM workers avg 25,000 rupees/mon or 300,000 rupees/yr
300,000 rupees/yr == USD$ 3612.00
these are science, tech. engineering, and medical workers.
these are not drooling idiots.
and they cost 1/5th the rate we pay for the toothless idiots in the typical American drive-thru
now imagine OUR STEM people... they average about $120k/yr or 40x more than those in india
THAT’S how they can do it cheaper.
their one project, $75m.
$75m * 40 == $3 billion
getting closer to the $24 billion for all of NASA
Imagine what the covid $280 billion that was stolen could have done for the space program?
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