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Comment by thetruthseeker1 | Hacker News Reader

When US was spending billions on Minuteman and Apollo missions, there were many problems in America, including poverty. Not sure? ask the African Americans in the south from that time. However, very little energy was spent on questioning whether spending in space was right thing to do.

If developing countries spend a miniscule of their budget ( ISRO budget less than 2%), there is cynicism. I think what India is doing is great and is great for improving India's technical abilities and India doesn't need to answer what it chooses to do with its money.

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>However, very little energy was spent on questioning whether spending in space was right thing to do.

That's not true. Public opinion about the moon missions was divided throughout the whole program, and a lot of effort was spent debating it. It is only in retrospect that it seems like a no-brainer, because everyone who was against it has been forgotten and we know it was a success.

I don't think it is a no-brainer even in retrospect. Much of it was cold war idiocy.

See “Whitey on the Moon” for a great example of then-contemporary debate over the nation’s priorities.

Completely coincidently I've heard it today first time starting with Angel-dust and flowing with YouTube's suggested. I'm completing my GSH education as we speak.

This song was featured in the movie "First Man".

That is great. However did you guys have a debate about US poverty after every Apollo mission? What about after you buy every F35? The cost of this Indian mission is about the cost of 1 F35. BTW, many decades back Indians also deliberated, and only then established ISRO.

Also, frankly, that's a question for Indians to debate and not a big fan of NY times casually questioning the judgement of that spending without giving it an elaborate treatment. I have seen this multiple times. India launched Mars craft, but there is poverty. India launches 100+ satellites in one mission, but there is poverty. Its irrelevant at that instant and seems only to diminish India's aspirations.

May be some of this journalists can take a look at Indian Budget, study it deeply, and find where the government can spend more wisely. I bet they will find more wasteful spending than the investment in ISRO and that may be helpful for the public to know.

> However did you guys have a debate about US poverty after every Apollo mission?

Yes.

>However, very little energy was spent on questioning whether spending in space was right thing to do.

There was considerable energy spent questioning it and the project was almost scrapped numerous times. It also never had the support of the majority of Americans at any point until the actual launch itself:

https://www.academia.edu/179045/_Public_Opinion_Polls_and_Pe...

>When US was spending billions on Minuteman and Apollo missions, there were many problems in America, including poverty. Not sure? ask the African Americans in the south from that time. However, very little energy was spent on questioning whether spending in space was right thing to do.

Well, more energy should have been spent in that line of questioning.

But there was nationalism at play, and the race to compete with the USSR.

So, not really the best counter-example...

   But there was nationalism at play,
    and the race to compete with the USSR.

Oh, nationalism is for sure at play here, and proving itself as a country that can get to space is definitely demonstrating that they are just as good as any other nuclear superpower.

Agreed. And the elephant in the room: All major space programs worldwide are an integral part of their respective country’s defense program. And were from inception.

India lives in a dangerous neighborhood, and protecting its citizens is by far the #1 priority of its government. The space program will always be well funded as a result.

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