Gaganji: ISRO IS waaaaaaaaaay ahead of the rest. The PR is worth $$$BB in the effect that it has on people both in India and in the rest of the world. The images of real human emotions. The video of the ice-cool My-Job-Is-2b-like-a-duck Dr. Sivan wiping his spectacles and bawling on the shoulder of the Prime Minister is probably a Huge moment in history. No Bollywood tear-jerker director could have scripted that. I think that did more for India's Image as all the expensive PR campaigns combined.Gagan wrote:A word about the TV transmission of ISRO launches and possible measures to improve it. I have repeated some things ad-nauseam multiple times in the past.
1. Doordarshan as an socialist era TV broadcaster is poorly motivated to do 21st century transmission. Period.
{agree. Putting a dead image there with a countdown clock, for hours before the lander window, shows a work ethic that stinks. And then their transmission went kaput.}
ISRO has to surge forward, and shed this 70s and 80s mindset and we have to have a more scientifically oriented, modern, high-tech TV coverage.
Broadcasting the faces of the children - and of the Rocket Scientists as they monitored their baby - was truly world-beating. Point to another Space Agency where you find such diversity, such color, such humanity. The nerd wimmen were seen to be just as fashionable and sociable - and smart (!!!) as the "coolest" fashion models. Those red-and white Ashoka-Chakra ear-studs flush with the ear: Sheer class!! OK, except for Mandira Bedi Those people came across as real smart people.
That probably did more for "wimmens in STEM" than any $$B guvrmand program ever.
I think NASA would have given $20B for such citizen interest and involvement, and such imagery. All Space Agencies struggle mightily with the problem of how to "sell" their budget to the voters. Americans and Russians are probably sick and tired of watching government babus and bhabis cavorting in gorilla suits in microgravity. Its worse than attending a pissicks lecture for 1.5 hours.
The other stuff, sad to say, only we geeks care about. Broadcasting the trajectory live is about as useful as using all the screens in the Rajdhani Express to broadcast the speed and gradient, instead of movies.
They could have a well-announced website where the geek data fills the screen. But prime-time TV? Indians have it down cold. World-leaders.