The Great and Powerful A to Z Theme Reveal Blogfest! Do you or will you have a theme for the event? Sign up on the Linky list below, and on March 23rd (Monday) reveal your theme, tell us why it is exciting, and give us a hint of what to expect from it! Then, once your post is up the week leading up to A to Z, use the Linky to visit other blogs announcing their themes. Enjoy!
This is a great opportunity for all of you to get a jump start on your A to Z experience. You can link up with fellow bloggers, scout out and bookmark themes that you look forward to, and set out delicious themed bait on your blog to lure in wandering participants! This way, by the time the frenzied posting begins on April 1st, you will already have an audience eagerly awaiting your posts.
Sign up below, ready your theme, and post March 23rd on your calendar!
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| India Reaches Mars |
Did You Know: India's $74 million Mars mission cost less than 'Gravity' movie. That’s right. When the Mangalyaan spacecraft slipped into orbit around Mars on Wednesday after a 10-month voyage, India became the first country to successfully reach the Red Planet on its first attempt. The U.S. Maven satellite, for example, arrived in orbit on Sunday in a mission that cost taxpayers $671 million. The European Space Agency's 2003 mission to Mars had an initial budget of nearly $200 million.
ISRO is able to save money by using short development cycles, and taking advantage of India's cheap labor market. Highly-skilled aerospace engineers in the country might receive a salary of $1,000 per month, a fraction of what the same workers would be paid in Europe or the U.S. Reference
Fun Facts: Ten countries have the ability to launch space satellites or vehicles using their own rockets. The Soviet Union was the first with Sputnik in 1957 followed by the United States, France, Japan, China, United Kingdom, the European Space Agency, India, Israel, Ukraine, Russia, Iran, India, and North Korea. And there are many more countries with space endeavors on the drawing board.
Not So Fun Fact: Of these countries (excluding European Space Agency), all except for Japan have developed nuclear weapons. And if Japan felt threatened by China or Japan, they would develop the ability real fast. They probably already have, just not advertising it.
Cover Reveal: Heather M. Gardner and One Good Catch. Set for release March 13, 2015. Good luck Heather!
Title: One Good Catch
Author: Heather M. Gardner
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Publisher: InkSpell Publishing
Cover Design: Najla Qamber Designs
Release Date: March 13, 2015
Okay, the Linky List awaits you. And have fun with your theme and pre-writing your posts.
Cost less than the movie Gravity? That's ironic.
ReplyDeleteSigned up for the theme revealing :) That is definitely interesting that India's Mar's mission cost less than the movie Gravity. I hope it was more productive for them than the Gravity movie was for me to watch it :)
ReplyDeletebetty
Lots of people interested in Mars. I had no idea so many national entities could put things into space. No wonder there's so much junk up there.
ReplyDeleteSusan, and the proliferation will grow exponentially in the decades to come. I have a future post of space cleanup that's really cool some of the ideas floating around.
DeleteGreat post Stephen. am looking forward to the A to Z. Were you aware back in 2010 when the first A to Z Challenge came on line I was the first to sign up?. I haven't got a theme as yet as I've had domestic issues and am moving next week, will think about a theme as the days go by though.
ReplyDeleteYvonne.
The difference in the amount of money spent is staggering! Even allowing for different economic climates and cost of living, 600 million dollars difference does seem extreme x
ReplyDeleteSuzanne, my post Thursday on the A to Z Website covers some of the private industry companies competing with and contracted with NASA to take mankind into Deep Space. Leave it to private industry to find ways to save money and be successful.
DeleteI've already mentioned my theme, but will still take part in the reveal.
ReplyDeleteLife & Faith in Caneyhead
That's amazing about the cost of India's Mars Mission. Sounds like we need to learn a bit from them how to cut our costs.
ReplyDeleteInteresting tidbits here and thanks for providing the linky for the A-Z Theme Reveal. Can't wait to get started! ☺
ReplyDeleteIt really makes you wonder about the money put into movies.
ReplyDeleteAmazing how much money is wasted in space flights and movies about space flights. Private ventures again are showing the way in how things can be done for far less money. India to Mars for that amount of money? I think that caught a lot of people off guard.
ReplyDeleteJapan doesn't have nuclear weapons? That's surprising.
ReplyDeleteDiane, the de-militarization of Japan after WWII and being under the protective umbrella of the US are what drive's their non-nuclear weapons program. But it's common knowledge they have the ability to make them faster than just about anyone else on the planet if necessary.
DeleteI love that so many private companies are developing space technologies - very interesting for the future! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's scary to think that we spend so much on movies in comparison to other countries' space programs. Hmm.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't seem remotely possible that India spent less on their Mars mission than the makers of Gravity spent on making a film. It would be interesting to compare the sums of money paid to actors and film makers to workers in the aerospace industry in India.
ReplyDeleteYou've given us a lot of very scary facts today. The nuclear ones, of course, but also the one that speaks to how skewed our priorities our in our world. Or maybe India is better at budgeting than Hollywood.
ReplyDeleteCheryl, the nuclear factor is one that is rarely talked about because people are so excited about going deeper into space. But the threat is always there. Hopefully we won't blow each other up in the meantime.
DeleteAlthough countries will preach their space programs are for peaceful purposes, there are the military possibilities too. I wonder if blood will ever be spilled on our moon. .
ReplyDeleteSo much interest in space. Makes you think they know more than they are telling us.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing the cover today!
I appreciate it!
Heather
I'd rather government put its space money into somewhere we could actually colonize if needed.
ReplyDeleteIndia does a lot of things much less expensively than the U.S. does. Do they cut corners... or do we waste money? I suspect it's mostly the latter.
ReplyDeleteSusan, they probably do not have as much red tape to go through. This would effect quality control, but hey, they made it work.
DeleteI guess the day of the "little movie" has long passed.
ReplyDeleteI'm on there. I can't wait!
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Heather on her cover! Such lovely colors. I'm not A - Z-ing this year, but it will be fun to see everyone's themes. Am I the only one who thinks countries with starving people should not be spending millions on missions to Mars?
ReplyDeleteLexa, a space program does produce jobs and will continue to do so. And this is where we are going as a species. So the smart money is to get on board now as the race for Deep Space has officially begun.
DeleteCongrats to Heather. Love her cover! I'm still tweaking my theme. But I think I'll participate.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised that India was able to reach Mars but not that they were able to do it cheaply.
ReplyDeleteLove Heather's cover.
Congratulations on Mars beating the US to Mars. I had no idea. Our news is terrible here. to much focus on stars and entertainment and not on world news happenings. I can't believe we are so close to A to Z again. Time sure does fly. Thinks for visitng me on my Blitz day.
ReplyDeleteHow do we "join" your great Blog.... such great posts to read....
ReplyDeleteDr. Theda, simply add me to your blog roll. Blogger has that option to add a blog roll to your side bar so you can see when people put up new posts.
ReplyDelete