A Whole New Space Age

The possibilities are mind-bending. Isn’t it time India started thinking seriously about being a space-faring nation?

- Prithwis Mukerjee

ELON MUSK MAY have suddenly become the glamorous mascot of a new, post-Apollo space age but the fact remains that the destiny of mankind is among the stars. While many people will keep on trying to salvage what remains of Spaceship Earth from the environmental, social and political scourges that threaten it, it is but inevitable that a significant, space-faring community will emerge that will seek to live and work outside the planet—like European emigrants going to America. Are we in India ready for this? Will we just watch and cheer while others depart?—as it was in 1969 when Man went to the Moon? Or should we as a nation participate in these great voyages?

Astronomers tell us that there must be thousands of habitable, earth-like planets in orbit around various stars in our galaxy. Unfortunately, the distance between stars is so great that we have no means yet, not even theoretical ideas, on how to build spacecraft that will be fast enough to travel to another solar system in the lifetime of a human being. But travel within our own solar system is possible with technology available today. So to be realistic, let us focus on our own solar neighbourhood.