Russia seems to have lost contact with its first lunar probe in half a century

"The management team is currently analyzing the situation."

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[galahad05]

Honestly, the timing sounds a little suspicious to me. I'm half inclined to think the Russians rushed things to get to the lunar South Pole region first. And if that were the cause of the failure, that would be quite embarrassing. Fifty years ago, I don't think many people would have imagined that the Russian (Soviet) space program would one day be inferior to India's. But then, I doubt many people back then imagined that the United Kingdom's navy would end up being inferior to India's.

I'm near certain it was a rush. This is 1000% on-brand for them for the past 30 years. Hell, during the Soviet era as well. For them it's all about influence and prestige. This is NOT a scientific expedition.

Any science that would have been done would have been incidental.

 

[galahad05]

Are people still going on about that tired old "knowledge makes you ethical and good, and ignorance = evil"? I would've thought World War II would've debunked that one. The most educated population in the entire world allowed themselves to fall in line and torch off the most destructive war in human history.

People who learn things and are smart just have better tools to help justify what they want to do and believe, to themselves and others.

Knowledge is not wisdom.