Sir
Your New Delhi correspondent attributes views to me (Nature 424, 985; 200310.1038/424985b) that imply I do not support the Moon mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
As I had no discussion with your correspondent just before the report was filed, I suspect that it was based on comments I made about a year ago to the effect that “exploration of the Moon should really be an international enterprise, and India, as one of the countries that has the capability to undertake such an exploration, should naturally be a part of that enterprise”. This is a view I still hold, and is actually an endorsement of India's joining the enterprise, especially as 15% of the payload on the Indian satellite to the Moon is available for international collaboration.
Similarly, my belief that exploration of our own planet is of profound importance, should not be interpreted as opposition to the Moon mission. Indeed, I believe that the Moon project conceived by the ISRO is both feasible and worthwhile.
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Narasimha, R. India's mission to the Moon is worthwhile. Nature 425, 763 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/425763d
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/425763d
