a little good news

[mellowtigger]

India becomes the first country to place a lander on the moon's south pole. That achievement is scientifically important because there may be deposits of water there. That water could be used for human biological needs, both drinking as water and breathing as oxygen (after processing it).

I'm not a fan of Prime Minister Modi (who encourages nationalism), but I do very much like this quote:

"India's successful moon mission is not India's alone... the success belongs to all of humanity."
- Times Of India

That's the wonder of science rather than capitalism. The whole world can participate in the excitement of new discoveries, potentially improving life for us all someday. This nice achievement comes from the oldest multicultural civilization still on the planet, one that has survived and thrived without monotheism. I rather like India, as such things go, in spite of their old caste system.

I can't currently find my old post about it, but I visited the Hindu temple in Maple Grove many years ago, back around 2006. They had an open house immediately after the main building construction finished. They invited the whole Twin Cities community after it was vandalized earlier during construction.

I admire that kind of response to violence. It's part of why it makes me a little bit happy that India landed their spacecraft at the moon's southern pole.