Thread by @finshots

So despite the successful deployment of the Chandrayaan 2 Orbiter, there are still a few people going- “Why are we spending money on space research when we have so many problems back home?” Well, if you want to find out why, keep reading this thread (1/9) #Chandrayan2

For one, India spends less than 0.07% of its total GDP on Space Exploration. I mean we spend 7 times as much on Fertilizer Subsidy. Also, it’s not like all this money goes into some sort of a black hole never to see the light of day again. (2/9)

ISRO, through its commercial arm Antrix, made close to a Billion dollars in revenues over the last 3 years. And the expenditure is trivial compared to the overwhelming benefits that accrue from pushing the frontiers of science. (3/9)

The entire budgetary allocation for space research this year was close to 12,000 Crores. For context, the government promised to give away 30,000 crores to Air India last year, just to keep it afloat. (4/9)

So if you are thinking about diverting funds to alleviate poverty, might we suggest that there are less productive avenues you could tap into before you start raiding ISROs coffers? Also, space exploration is much more than simply working out a cost-benefit analysis. (5/9)

It has the potential to change the cultural outlook and inspire an entire generation of kids. Just look at what the Space Program did to the US education system. During these years, the number of students earning PhD's increased dramatically. (6/9)

More importantly, it has the potential to take the son of a poor farmer from TamilNadu and thrust him to the top of one of the greatest space research organisations on the face of this planet. If that isn’t reason enough to keep going back to the moon, I don’t know what is (7/9)

As George Bush once said, “Mankind is drawn to the heavens for the same reason we were once drawn into unknown lands and across the open sea. We choose to explore space because doing so improves our lives, and lifts our national spirit.” (8/9)

And for those fleeting moments when Prime Minister Modi held K Sivan in a tight embrace, it managed to lift the spirit of an entire nation. And that, is the greatest contribution of Chandrayaan 2.

It finally gave us a chance to dream once again

To Infinity and Beyond (9/9)