SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 09, 2001
IN BLACK AND WHITE Should India send a mission to the moon?
MANOJ JOSHI
Man's landing on the moon in 1969 was hailed as a momentous feat of science. It was in fact so epochal that interest in exploring the moon, which began in the 1950s with the Russian Luna missions, faded soon after. The last Apollo mission took place in 1972 and now, barring some recent scientific missions, there is little activity. But while the space-faring powers focus their attention on a putative mission to Mars and the more real International Space Station, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been lobbying the government to put up money to revisit earth's only natural satellite.
Just why ISRO wants to undertake this lunar project is not clear, though words like 'science', 'discovery' and 'technology spin-offs' have been freely bandied about. But no one has come up with a rationale that would do justice to the $100 million cost that would be involved.
Insofar as science is concerned, the Russian Luna and American Apollo programmes have generated a huge amount of data on the moon, including some 380 kg of moon rock which was brought back to earth by remotely controlled robots as well as manned flights that landed on the moon's surface. Scientists say that there are still a lot of mysteries about the moon such as whether or not there is water there or whether it still has seismic activity and so on. But surely this is not a priority area for Indian science. It is often not realised that Clementine or the forthcoming Smart-1 are dual-purpose projects designed to undertake scientific work as well as prove certain technologies. The Clementine programme was used to test light-weight imaging systems for the missile defence programme, while the main goal of the Smart project will be to prove an ion propulsion engine. Public statements of ISRO leaders indicate that the Indian proposal is nothing but an expensive technological fishing expedition aimed at restoring ISRO's fading esprit de corps. But in science and technology, such viagric solutions do not quite work. Even today, people wonder whether the $20 billion the US spent on sending a man to the moon in the 1960s was really worth it. Arguably, in terms of space science, far more useful data has been generated by Russia's space station, Mir. ISRO chief Kasturirangan says the issue is not of "whether we can afford it (the moon shot). It's whether we can afford to ignore it". The consensus around the world seems to be that at its present stage of development, India would be well advised to avoid a programme that seems to be based more on prestige than anything else. So far, India's space programme has been application-driven and this is how it ought to be. For a country with 38 per cent illiteracy, a collapsing higher education system, and a vast pool of poverty, technology-intensive space research is best left to the Americans and Europeans. India must focus on using space technology for development purposes or national security. That is why it is not surprising that China, whose space launch capabilities are ahead of India, has not evinced any desire to go to the moon. In the meantime, there is a lot that ISRO needs to do, closer to earth. For one thing, it needs to sharply boost the frequency of its launches and reduce the costs to make Indian launches commercially viable. Second, it has to perfect its GSLV rocket which is currently based on Russian cryogenic engines. Finally, it has to service the continuing requirement for communications and remote sensing satellites. Another emerging challenge for ISRO is to support the country's national security efforts by providing space-based sensors and communications systems. The money needed for the moon project, some Rs 500 crore, could be better deployed in meeting these targets. A new vision for Indian space science is a laudable goal, provided it does not suffer from myopia. (Manoj Joshi is the political editor of The Times of India)
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