India will be able to send a manned mission to moon by the year 2020 if everything goes as planned, Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman G Madhavan Nair has said.
Nair was here to deliver the 4th lecture on leadership title ‘Indian Space Mission-Recent Achievement and Challenges Ahead’ at a function organised by the Ahmedabad Management Association.
“Space is going to be the next frontier for the future generation, and India cannot afford to lag behind,” Nair said.
“If everything goes as per the plan we will be ready to send a man to moon by 2020”, he added.
“On one side we have the capacity and technology, on the other side we need to provide training to a human being to survive the condition on moon and the zero gravitation,” he added.
“This demands for more amount of training on the ground, and we would be spending one third of the budget on training and development of technology,” he further said.
“US and China are two main contenders who want to send man on moon by 2020. Though they have not yet announced anything but they have the capacity and adequate funds to send man to moon by 2020,” he added.
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Centre will fully support ISRO’s manned moon mission: Antony
Centre would extend its full support to ISRO’s proposed manned moon mission, Defence Minister A K Antony has said. “People from certain quarters have expressed doubt whether India should go for the manned moon mission which is very expensive,” Antony said during a function of congress-sponsored ‘Janashree Mission’, in which ISRO scientists behind the success of Chandrayaan-1 were honoured.
“I am giving an answer to the critics also, that Union government will fully support ISRO’s manned moon mission whatever the cost,” he said, adding that the ISRO should go ahead with the mission.
On the programmes of ‘Janashree Mission’, a micro finance scheme for self-help groups, Antony wanted the public sector and other scheduled banks to come forward to provide loans to entrepreneurs under the programme.
He offered Centre’s support and co-operation to the programmes of Janashree Mission.
India was able to insulate itself to a great extent from the impact of global recession due to the ‘Indian model’ of development pursued by Jawaharalal Nehru and nationalisation of banks initiated by Indira Gandhi, he said.
On the issues in Kerala, Antony said the state was a place where disputes and controversies occur on all things. At least in the case of development, there should be a consensus among political parties and common ground for co-operation should be found.
Congress leader and Chairman of Janashree Mission M M Hassan presided over the function. Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary T K A Nair was among those present on the occasion.
Source: Press Trust of India
