Mars Mission to be launched

The country’s Mars exploration mission will be launched on November 5. While the Mangalyaan probe will collect information about the planet and its atmosphere (especially the presence of methane), if successful, it will also give India membership into a very elite club which has only three other member countries with proven capability of carrying out interplanetary missions. It will also put India ahead of China, a big deal. The criticism is that the Rs 450 crore spent on the mission could be put to better use elsewhere; why Mars afterall?