Episode# 16 - NASA
This week we aren’t late and had a guest with us for this show. A friend of ours, Shalin Mody, works at NASA and we had him over to chat about his experiences. We didn’t go into details about ISRO and talked generally about space exploration.
Episode Notes:
- Recently, an asteroid mission got cancelled and with the new Crew Exploration Vehicle being built NASA is facing some budget contraints.
- Space Tourism is fast becoming a reality. Richard Branson has put his money on space exploration too, SpaceShipOne was the first manned private space flight
- Being in zero gravity should be an awesome experience. A company called Zero Gravity provides
- Space podcasting??
- What’s exciting at NASA now, its the VSE (Vision for Space Exploration) but like anything else the opinions are divided on this too.
Yours Internetally,
Aditya
P.S : Intro & concluding music provided by Alms for Shanti
Listen Online (64 kbps) :/Episode lenght : 20 mins
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Hey Aditya and Abhishek. I have to tell you that I love your show. I heard the one for the NPT on Chutneyradio (since I have a show on there - Sunehre Geet) and I absolutely fell in love with it. I have to tell you that I am rather amused and also irritated by Mr. Krishnan. The reason India has not progressed much from the seperation between Hindus and Muslims since the partition is because of people like Mr. Krishnan. “Mullas belong in Pakistan”? Are you serious? It is people like him that have brought us down to the danga phasaad that we experience and the tension between the two. People belong where they feel at home, where they are accepted and treated well for who they are. Where their heart and soul is, and the country they feel most obliged and patriotic towards. I am a Hindu myself, and I refuse to hear such nonsense from someone who has such a narrow minded intellect. We are all Indian, and we need to accept that. We can never become a developed country until we all work together and become ONE nation regardless of religious beliefs. Mr. Krishnan, I agree with Abhishek when I say that not only is your nonsensical talk proposterous and based on empty facts and twisted beliefs, it is also amusing. Please get a reality check and see that we all need to live together in harmony. The only person who belongs out of India is you. (including your negative beliefs)
Aditya and Abhishek, thank you for creating something that pushes away from the usual and keeps me thoroughly interested. I get the feel that you two are extremely passionate about India, and I can honestly tell you that I feel the same way. I’ve always wanted to make a change, but especially after RDB, my passion has increased, and I am planning on being there soon to start working on those dreams. Please continue giving us your wonderful shows often; I hope that more and more people listen and realize just what needs to be done. Feel free to respond, I would love to hear from you. Fight on, and take care.
Inqualab Zindabad.
Sincerely from my heart and soul,
Pratiti.
(btw, just thought I’d repost my comment because I don’t know how often you check the comments on your older shows)
Comment by Pratiti — March 14, 2006 @ 5:33 am
Hey Pratiti!
Thanks for all the compliments! We are more than happy to add something new on the internet and we are glad when some of that is both opinionated and (sometimes) entertaining.
Secularism is not out of the window yet! we just need to keep our heads in the right place before making premature conclusions! I agree with you.
Good Luck to you on your dreams. I hope it has inspired the masses in the right direction. We see more youngsters puffing away a cigarette; taking the easier lessons from RDB
Keep Listening!
Comment by Abhishek — March 15, 2006 @ 12:51 am
Good luck with your show, and I shall definitely keep on tuning in! Let me know if I can be of any help.
Thanks,
Pratiti
Comment by Pratiti — March 15, 2006 @ 7:43 am
Pratiti,
you say that you want to do something for India and I am sure than 1000s of desis in US feel the same as you do. Have you thought of anything?? I mean a serious thought?? Keep us posted with whatever you are planning and maybe we could help you too.
Yours internetally,
Aditya
Comment by Aditya — March 15, 2006 @ 4:28 pm
TheScian Melt #15!
Welcome to the 15th edition of TheScian Melt! The Melt is a bimonthly carnival of Science and India flavored blog posts. For those curious about the history and epistemology of blog carnivals, I present this wikipedia link. Follow the link to the blogger
Trackback by The Scientific Indian — March 16, 2006 @ 2:30 am
Hey Aditya! Sorry I’ve been swamped with preparations lately, and I haven’t gotten a chance to check out your site. Anyway, as far as a serious step goes, I have nothing huge in mind like invading a radio station and exploiting leaders. My fai does, however, own an orphanage in Mumbai. I want to start off working there, and I want to slowly try and get in touch with people that she knows that are willing to raise awareness for child and domestic abuse along with a need for homeless shelters and such facilities for the underpriveledged. I hope we can build some homeless shelters and I wish to go around colleges and speak to the students about it.
If nothing else, I want our youth to go out and visit shelters to see the conditions themselves. Seeing how bad the condition of the orphans is and how much love and support they need may affect how people feel about change and what is needed. More than anything, I want people to come out and see what is needed so if they don’t do something themselves they are aware of the change required and supportive of it. As far as I am concerned, I will definitely be helping out with orphanages, singing and playing with the kids, and trying to improve their lives in whatever way I can. As far fetched as the following may be, I have a contact with someone who’s doing enormously well in bollywood right now, and am meeting to hopefully start singing as well. I’ve been training in Northern Classical for 12 years now and hope to make it somewhat of a career so I can support my dreams financially. Just so you don’t think I am one of those “wanna be” people who think they are fantastic but really can’t sing, I would just like to put myself out there a bit by saying I am known for singing here by my school peers, captain of an a cappella group on campus, and am currently training in the Pandit Jasraj School of Music here. So it has never been a joke for me and am completely aware of my abilities! Lol, about two years ago, I wouldn’t have said I’m ready for mainstream singing, but today my views are quite diff. (I hope that didn’t come off arrogant; I just didn’t know how else to say it!)
Going back to my original point, mainly I want to express my views and the research I’ve done on child psychology and developing teenage psyche and present it to people in a way where they see how important positive reinforcement is as opposed to beatings or slapping. I wish to see a growth in the amount of women who stop letting their husbands come home drunk and beat them, and try and lead their lives with a more positive atmosphere. And finally I wish to see homeless shelters here and there so that slowly our people are provided for. I don’t think our country can be called a developed nation (or any other country for that matter) until it can provide for its people. My friend brought in an article at work that said certain countries combined spend about $250+ billion arming their forces each year, which happens to be enough money to feed all the homeless people in the world and some more. There is no excuse for letting our people go hungry and homeless. But we do find a way to do it, and I wish that somehow we start realizing that the strength of India is coming from within it’s people. Homeless, undernourished and underpriveledged people will not be able to make India strong. Now will they want to support a government which is not showing an effort towards providing for them.
I remember when I went to India last time, I got the sudden urge to ask a bum on the streets that if there were a world war tomorrow if he would be willing to fight for India. And his response shocked me more than anything, but I guess I had to expect it. He told me “kis liye? hum yaahan jald bhuke marne hi waale hain. Jab government wahan baithe baithe upri kamai karti hai aur hum yahaan marte hain, unko thodi pharak padta hai? main kabhi nahin ladunga” I felt so heartbroken, but I wonder how many people feel like that. It is ridiculous how little support we can provide for people like that but how much we expect them to root for India. We need to have everyone somewhere in life and not on the streets everywhere. I’m not asking to eradicate all homeless people and give them jobs; just to put as many as we can under a roof and find them something to do. Which I think should be possible if worked hard enough for! I know it’s a lot, and it will take extreme measures and a lot of hard work for me, but I am so passionate, I won’t stop until I make a change, no matter how little or big it may be. Aag ke liye chingaari hi kaafi hai, and if nothing else, I want to start that chingaari. Do write back!
Take care,
Pratiti.
Comment by Pratiti — March 22, 2006 @ 6:29 am
Pratiti,
First, of all phew !!! I think that was the longest comment I have ever seen on any blog but that probably shows the amount of thought you have put into it.
You seem to have decided on helping the homeless people which I think is great and its awesome to kow that you plan to use your contacts that you have at your disposal for it. Usually, people don’t use them and save them for “personal favors”.
And I agree with you comment on so much money being spent on defense when people are doing hungry. But I have heard weird stories about employing homelesss people aswell. I know a few people that have had bad experiences of employing people off the streets etc. So the real world application of employing homeless people is a bit tricky. That being said, it can be overcome but we need dedicated people for that.
But still the key is execution of ideas.
Comment by Aditya — March 22, 2006 @ 8:40 am