India’s first moon mission has successful launch

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Of course we need to go to the moon

Alot of people think it’s a waste of time, effort and money repeating something that’s been done by the United States and former USSR 42 years ago. But that’s like saying we shouldn’t have invested resources in satellite technology either because Sputnik had been sent up successfully in 1957. Or that Dakshin Gangotri should not have been set up in Antarctica in 1984 since Argentina was there from 1904. Besides, just because there’ve been other lunar expeditions doesn’t mean all the exploration and research that needs to be done is over. For one thing, previous missions have all been undertaken by individual countries which have not necessarily shared crucial data with others.

Then there’s the question of resources. Chandrayaan-I and its followers in the years to come will be looking for Helium-3 which is scarce on Earth but abundant on the moon. If it can be brought back even decades from now, it would be the ideal fuel for fusion reactors of the future to generate power and meet the energy needs of the country to a great extent. The probes will also try to identify and source important minerals like titanium, uranium-238 and possibly water ice — the latter being vital for setting up a base on the moon. People who grumble that India never anticipates the future till it arrives would do well to eat their words now.

And, of course, who can deny there is always pride and a sense of accomplishment in doing science at the cutting edge? To be just one of a handful of countries who have the technical skills and expertise to launch an indigenously developed space craft that can reach the moon is a tremendous achievement by itself.

Not only will it provide challenging opportunities for working scientists, it will also get young

people interested in space sciences. As G Madhavan Nair, chairman of ISRO, said minutes after the successful launch, “Today what we have started is a remarkable journey.” Let’s not forget that in a hurry.

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Is there anybody down here?

The moon’s surface was once believed to be perfectly smooth. In 1609, Galileo’s telescope revealed it to have craters. Not all illusions are optical. Launching Chandrayaan-I, India is believed to have joined the Big League of space cowboys. Like craters on the moon, the beauty of that argument is flawed. Just who’s in the business of such moon missions any longer? Once upon a time they dropped jaws — think Soviet Luna series. In the 21st century, that’s prehistory. The US, on its part, ended its Apollo jigs back in 1972. Let’s not forget those sojourns were manned. So our space prom is like close encounters of the yawn-inducing kind.

But, as interplanetary wannabes, we can’t expect to be outshone by China in acts of pure symbolism, can we? The Chinese have done flag-waving up there and chestthumping down here with a rather modest spacewalk — even the Beijing Olympics hogged more limelight. So Asia’s elephant had to outdo Asia’s dragon. Had we caught up with China’s growth rate instead, we’d make more sense. If competitive flag-waving is the issue, a giant leap for mankind was taken in 1969. In an anti-climactic finale to the space race, the Stars & Stripes, not the UN colours, was planted on the moon.

No wonder our scientists can barely explain what they’re after. Most of what’s to know is already known, down to the moon’s approximate 350 km-radius core. If handy spinoffs of moonlandings are the prize, we already have Velcro, adult diapers and microwaves. Ah, but we’re searching for exotica: Helium 3 and lowdown on the possibility of lunar picnics for humans. Why must we go sci-fi on energy instead of chasing fuel-efficiency? Why build distant biospheres, and not clean up earth? With due apologies to Lalu Prasad, we have enough road craters still to be made as smooth as Hema Malini’s cheek. But no, we’re dreaming of earth, moon and — hold your breath — Mars as a single spacefarers’ complex. Help!