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From:<br />http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=624&ncid=753&e=5&u=/ap/20040812/ap_on_sc/india_moon_mission<br /><br />By S. SRINIVASAN, Associated Press Writer <br /><br />BANGALORE, India - India is rethinking its plan to send a man to the moon by 2015, as the mission would cost a lot of money and yield very little in return, the national space agency said Thursday. <br /><br />"Whatever a man can do in space, it can be done with instrumentation, also," said G. Madhavan Nair, head of the Indian Space Research Organization. "This program is going to be very, very expensive. So, a national debate is required whether we have to embark on a manned mission or not." <br /><br /><br />Last year, the ISRO said it would send a spacecraft to orbit the moon by 2005 and land an astronaut on the moon by 2015. <br /><br /><br />Some scientists criticized the plan for an astronaut's journey, saying the feat is outdated and will bring little benefit to India, where more than a quarter of the 1.06 billion people live in abject poverty. <br /><br /><br />The United States landed men on the moon in 1969, but no other country has attempted it. <br /><br /><br />Many viewed India's proposed plan as an attempt to compete with China for recognition. China put a man in space last year. <br /><br /><br />Nair said India doesn't want to compete. Although he did not rule out the manned mission completely, he indicated that the ISRO no longer favors it. <br /><br /><br />Instrument-based study "is less expensive, more reliable and it can be for a longer duration," than a manned mission, he said. <br /><br /><br />A manned mission would take seven to 10 years to accomplish, and would cost at least $2.2 billion. <br /><br /><br />Nair said the plan to send a spacecraft to orbit the moon, however, remains on course. He said a spacecraft will be put <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>"1) Give no quarter; 2) Take no prisoners; 3) Sink everything." Admiral Jackie Fisher</p> </div>