BRIC cleaves in the middle (contd.)

Coincidences never cease to surprise us. Have a look at the following report from AFP:

29 December 2010 - 11H26



Medvedev fires space chiefs after satellite failure

"A Proton-M rocket, carrying the Russian Glonass-M satellites, blasts off from the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on December 5. President Dmitry Medvedev has fired two top space officials and reprimanded the head of Russia's space agency after the failed launch of three vital communications satellites, the Kremlin said. AFP - President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday fired two top space officials and reprimanded the head of Russia's space agency after the failed launch of three vital communications satellites, the Kremlin said.

Medvedev fired Vyacheslav Filin, vice president of the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation, and Viktor Remishevsky, the deputy head of Russia's Roskosmos space agency, news agencies quoted a Kremlin statement as saying.

The Russian president also reprimanded Roskosmos chief Anatoly Perminov, the statement added.

"On the Russian president's instructions, Roskosmos will undertake additional measures to strengthen its performance discipline," the Kremlin statement said.

A Russian Proton-M rocket failed to reach its initial orbit during the December 5 launch, causing it to dump the three high-tech Glonass-M satellites near the Hawaii Islands.

It marked an embarrassing setback to Russia's much-publicised attempts to introduce a global rival to the US Global Positioning System (GPS), a programme that was first begun by the Soviet Union in 1976."

Last week, India's attempt to launch a GSLV rocket ended in failure in the first stage itself causing deep embarassment. However, no scientist was fired. We may perceive the contrasting styles of Russia and India in any of two ways.

1) There is accountability in Russia, but not in India.

2) India is more considerate and does not resort to witch-hunting.

The choice is yours.