印度一个贫穷国家为什么进行火星探索？是不是跟我国以前一样的逻辑——“勒紧裤腰带也要发展火星探索”？这种逻辑对不对？

一、印度人野心大，虚荣心很强，是为了“showing off（炫耀、卖弄）”

见：How can poor countries afford space programmes? - The Economist

From a distance, India's extra-terrestrial ambitions might seem like a waste of money. The country still has immense numbers of poor people: two-fifths of its children remain stunted from malnutrition and half the population lack proper toilets. Its Mars mission may be cheap by American (or Chinese) standards, at just $74m,  but  India’s  overall  space  programme  costs  roughly  $1 billion a year. That is more than spare change, even for a near $2-trillion economy. Meanwhile, spending on public health, at about 1.2% of GDP, is dismally low. What if the 16,000 scientists and engineers now working on space development were deployed instead to fix rotten sanitation? And why should donors bother to help tackle poverty where governments have enough spare resources to think about space? For some countries, at least, decent answers exist to such questions. Trips to the Moon and Mars may well be mostly about showing off. But most space programmes are designed to get satellites into Earth’s orbit for the sake of better communications, mapping, weather observation or military capacity at home. These bring direct benefits to ordinary people. T

二、中印太空竞赛

见：

西媒集体吐槽印度:一半人没厕所还探测火星_网易军事

India Prepares to Launch Mars Orbiter in Space Race With China

India launches rocket in hope of joining elite Mars explorer club ...

India Launches First Mars Mission | IBTimes - UK | Video News

三、印度人自己说：

India, Isro gear up for Mars odyssey glory - The Times of India

Mars mission not for pride, we mean business: ISRO - The Hindu

India is capable of sending a rocket to Mars and fighting poverty ...