From India, Proof That a Trip to Mars Doesn’t Have to Break the Bank
What the NYT article didn't mention was the lack of sterilization of the ISRO spacecraft.<p>A huge portion of the budget for a probe like MAVEN [1] or JUNO [2] is spent reducing the chance of Earth microbes colonizing Mars or a moon of Jupiter.<p>It would be a huge shame for us to have doubt whether the first extra terrestial microbes we find in the solar system were really alien or simply Space Age Earth based life<p>[1] <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAVEN" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAVEN</a>
[2] <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juno_(spacecraft)" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juno_(spacecraft)</a><p>EDIT: Why the downvotes? Is what I'm saying incorrect?<p>EDIT2: Sources:<p>NASA cleanroom assembling Curiosity - <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/jpl/images/content/482654main_pia13388-640.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://www.nasa.gov/centers/jpl/images/content/482654main_pi...</a> (source:<p>ISRO assembling the Mangalyaan Mars probe in question <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01608/vbk-05-mars_1608506g.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01608/vbk-05-mars...</a> (source: <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/indias-october-28-mars-mission-on-schedule-isro/article5204371.ece" rel="nofollow">http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/indias-october-28-m...</a>)<p>Engineers don't use gloves or facial masks for interplanetary missions.<p>This jives with this video and the following anecdotes - 
<a href="http://venturebeat.com/2013/10/14/india-to-launch-its-first-mission-to-mars-video/" rel="nofollow">http://venturebeat.com/2013/10/14/india-to-launch-its-first-...</a> via <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6551331" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6551331</a><p>>This comment has nothing to do with India, ISRO, politics or Mars, but I am curious if anyone with expertise can comment on the clean room practices seen applied in this video. Is it odd that the workers don't have on full 'bunny' suits and have (what seems to be) a relatively large amount of skin/hair unprotected? I don't know if it matters that much, it just seems a little lax given the cost of failure.<p>> Firstly, I've visited ISRO Bangalore(A few years back). And I did see the exact things you mentioned. I did ask the guy(Not sure, if he was the PR guy) who took our class for the tour. His answer was, they were likely assembling some test equipment and not the real equipment that was going to space.<p>(Which unlikely given parent's NYT article:)<p>> The modest budget did not allow for multiple iterations. So, instead of building many models (a qualification model, a flight model and a flight spare), as is the norm for American and European agencies, scientists built the final flight model right from the start.<p>It's unclear whether the room is a particulate controlled up to standard, but they may (hopefully) do sterilization through chemical and heat treatments, but that alone isn't enough for planetary protection.