Science Guide

India's space program has been slowly gaining momentum. After launching numerous sattellites for commerical use, they have set their sights on the moon, literally. Their latest mission is to launch a probe to the moon. Specfically, they will jettison a device to the moon to create an impact that will result in moon dust flying around. The dust will be captured by the probe for analysis. The scientists hope to find minerals that may result in a new energy source.

This article explains it in detail.

Apparently, India's space program has proven to be a positive investment. They claim they get a good return. This Newsweek article describes their remote sensing satellite and how it helped the people.

It argues that its space program has earned a return of $2 on every dollar invested by the government, according to Nair. For example, its remote sensing satellites, which map the Earth's surface at a resolution of close to one meter, have helped find well water in dry regions, saving the government's drill boring program $100 million.

That is very cool. Pres Abdul Kalam would be proud.