this post was submitted on 25 Aug 2023
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India just landed on the Moon for less than it cost to make Interstellar | The Independent::undefined

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[–] SGG@lemmy.world 235 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Why is this even a comparison? India only went to the moon, interstellar had to go to other freaking solar systems and a black hole to make their documentary!

[–] XTornado@lemmy.ml 50 points 1 year ago (1 children)

With humans aswell and robots!

[–] blackluster117@possumpat.io 4 points 1 year ago

Robots with feelings! Do you know how many consecutive milestones they nailed?

[–] CaptainPedantic@lemmy.world 91 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Cool.

The average income in India is 25x ish less than that of the US. If we scale the $75 million cost to land on the moon by 25 times, we get $1.8 billion. The Perseverance rover's cost is estimated at $2.75 billion and that thing landed on Mars.

It's incredibly impressive that India has landed on the moon on their 2nd try. Nothing should take away from that, and India should be very proud of their achievement. But geez this is a braindead article. Yes, poorer countries can pay people less do the same amount of work as someone in another country.

[–] dejf@lemmy.world 45 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I respectfully disagree with you. It's a bit misleading to compare average incomes like that. I would assume the income disparity is nowhere near as large for valuable scientists and engineers working for a national space program. In addition, you are only comparing labour costs. Some materials can be cheaper in India, but certainly not by a factor of 25 and certainly not all of them. Therefore, I wouldn't say the article is braindead.

[–] Pregnenolone@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

This comparison is predicated on every part of the manufacturing process occurring in each country. As soon as India are buying parts from other countries they’re not paying India prices anymore

[–] MyDogLovesMe@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 year ago

Some guy at NASA: “We estimate that the cost of this part should cost 1.8Million dollars. “

Some guy in India: “You know, my cousin can make that part for 35 dollars”

[–] Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world 73 points 1 year ago (2 children)

These titles are dumb.

"NASA's 1969 moon landing was with a computer that can't even power Doom!"

[–] Honytawk@lemmy.zip 27 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Did you know scientists created ways to use crabs as logic gates?

Someone calculated we need about 8 billion crabs in order to run Doom.

[–] zavivo@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Now that is scientific fact. There’s no real evidence for it, but it is scientific fact.

[–] wuddupdude@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 year ago

That's a crab fact.

[–] Blackmist 2 points 1 year ago

Now you're talking Nonce Sense.

[–] Player2@sopuli.xyz 10 points 1 year ago

Pretty sure that was the amount to store the files for the game, not actually run it.

[–] DudePluto@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago

They did surgery on a grape

[–] wabafee@lemm.ee 42 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Aside from different approaches I think the biggest factor is salary difference. Still impressive though a good example for other Asian nations.

[–] Amaltheamannen@lemmy.ml 27 points 1 year ago

Modern US space projects are also basically welfare programs for aerospace companies.

[–] Munkisquisher@lemmy.nz 40 points 1 year ago

Yeah but interstellar went to a black hole and back

[–] wahming@lemmy.world 28 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Can we not have the hundred identical stupid jokes in the comment section like we did in reddit?

[–] SlowNoPoPo@lemm.ee 51 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's a human thing not a Reddit thing

[–] bionicjoey@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 year ago

How dare people have fun

[–] orizuru@lemmy.sdf.org 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Bollywood should start filming on-site.

[–] TurboDiesel@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Nah. The bad CGI is what makes it so so good

[–] anlumo@feddit.de 9 points 1 year ago

But consider the low gravity dances!

[–] sugarfree@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago (10 children)
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[–] vreraan@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

But Interstellar had a box office of $715 million.

The astronautics is a very expensive sector and with completely uncertain returns on earnings.