Reaching Mars in Lowest Costs

The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) of the Indian Space Research Organization has got its due share of praise from the world since 24^th September, when the Mangalyaan satellite entered the Martian orbit. Not only is MOM the only successful maiden attempt by a country to get a satellite into Mars’ atmosphere, but also the cheapest so far.

The only other successful Mars orbiter missions have been by the USA and the European Union, called MAVEN and Mars Express, respectively. Made possible with costs as high as $671 billion and $386 billion, they are approximately ten times and five times MOM’s total cost.

Here’s analyzing the reasons for its incredibly low cost among a total of fifty-one attempts made the world-over, and the prospects that this landmark achievement brings for the sub-continent’s economic future.

Indigenous Technology: As the economic superpowers of the world spent billions on research for their mission to reach Mars, their findings and developments were kept confidential for them to single handedly tap the economic inflow later. Not having access to the developments made by other nations on this front, ISRO had to work on the program from scratch, which played in its favor. The satellite reached Mars following a trajectory unlike any other attempted earlier. While the others aimed at sending a rocket straight towards the red planet, MOM took an elliptical orbit, first orbiting around the Earth for several days, and then gradually shifting its orbit to an elliptical one around the Sun. The solar satellite then kept increasing its radius and reached Mars after around eleven months of drifting.

This saved a huge amount of money that would have been spent on fuel to propel the payload at an incredible speed if the trajectory was to be straighter, and further reiterated the adage: necessity is the mother of invention.

Low Employee Costs: The NASA’s annual budget is upwards of $17.5 billion, whereas ISRO’s budget is approximately $1.2 billion annually. As these organizations spend heavily on research, employee costs form a huge chunk of such expenses. A middle level official at ISRO earns approximately Rs. 1 Lakh a month, which is negligible compared to how the USA compensates its scientists.

Lower Payload: Mangalyaan’s launch weight was 1350 kg and the final payload is not over 15 kgs, which again is paltry in comparison to its counterparts. MOM has been equipped with minimal scientific equipments, primarily focusing on checking for the presence of methane on the planet, as that would give some insight into possibility of life on Mars. The low weight also prevented ISRO from adding additional protective gear to the orbiter, which makes MOM incapable of landing on the surface of Mars.

Low Budget for Space Research in a Developing Economy & Business Prospects: As a fifth of India’s population still remains below poverty line, the economy’s focus is on providing more basic necessities like healthcare, education and nutrition.

However, India remains aware of the business it might get from other countries for putting their telecommunication and other satellites into space at the most competitive cost, and the decision to keep a budget for space research and technology, however small, has proved to be a wise step for the country.

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Further Reading:

http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2014/09/23/how-india-mounted-the-worlds-cheapest-mission-to-mars/

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2014/09/26/experts-cheap-mars-mission-could-prove-lucrative-for-india/

http://www.vox.com/2014/9/24/6838079/india-mars-mangalyaan

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29341850

http://www.businessinsider.in/Heres-How-India-Made-Such-A-Cheap-Space-Probe-And-Left-Everyone-Else-In-The-Dust/articleshow/43355800.cms

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Image Source: www.isro.org

Marketing Lessons: ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge raised over $100 million for the ALS Association in the month of August alone. Even though the activity as well as the end use of funds has been criticized by many, the impact created by this chain-reaction cannot be overstated. Participated in by thousands across the globe, the New York Times reported that the seed for its virality germinated when in late July, Pete Frates, an ALS patient posted a video of himself bobbing his head to the hit ‘90s song “Ice Ice Baby” and nominating a few of his friends to douse themselves in ice water or donate money for the cause. The stunt soon spread across Boston and then permeated globally when a few big names fell into the loop.

The magnitude of the stunt’s virality speaks a lot about the power of publicity over paid marketing. In this age of heavy social media influence, businesses are constantly in the rush to outdo each other in not just reaching but touching the consumers to build brand loyalty. Here are a few tips that we can take from the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in building viral content that markets itself.

Simplicity

With increasing avenues for distraction, social networking sites are constantly buzzing with content aiming towards mass appeal. The popularity of image memes can be attributed to their simple format. Similarly, short articles are preferred over more descriptive content; and graphic representation over textual. A video provides detailed information in limited time and in the easiest to consume fashion. Thus, it has been one of the primary reasons for the stunt’s popularity.

Humor

Most users log on to the social media to escape boredom. Presenting an idea with a touch of fun or humor helps in spreading the message without giving it a serious packaging. Zomato can be named as one example which constantly posts original light hearted content related to its industry to build a fun oriented image with the youth. The amusing reactions of people taking the challenge were looked forward to by most.

Multiplier Effect

The activity required participants to nominate their friends to take up the challenge. The element of challenge acted as a catalyst in prompting people to participate and prove their ability to engage in the stunt. Giving a deadline of twenty-four hours further expedited the participation and ensured that the thrill does not fizzle out.

Sense of Goodness

Any business offering’s first rule is to make the customer feel good about himself and generate a sense of self worth that he may not achieve by using a competitor’s product or service. The challenge made people feel good about themselves for donating towards a good cause. In the process, a lot of participants educated themselves about the disease and felt sensitized towards the cause, even though minutely.

Flexibility and Customization

The act further allowed for flexibility in terms of location for performing it, the amount of money to be donated and the amount of ice that people chose to put in their buckets, thus making the stunt even easier to perform.

Despite the criticism, the challenge gave people all over the world a fun activity to engage in, formed a source of entertainment, spread awareness and raised money for a cause. Win-Win!

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Further Reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_Bucket_Challenge

http://theweek.com/speedreads/index/266559/speedreads-this-is-the-guy-who-made-the-ice-bucket-challenge-go-viral

http://www.viralthread.com/ice-bucket-challenge/

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/236843

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/ice-bucket-challenge-viral/

http://grist.org/living/four-reasons-that-ice-bucket-challenge-went-crazy-viral/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ricksmith/2014/09/01/the-science-behind-the-success-of-the-ice-bucket-challenge/

http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2014/25817/what-the-als-ice-bucket-challenge-can-teach-us-about-content-marketing

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Image Source: slate.com