Lunar Land Grab

Whole of India is proud of our Chandrayaan success! Indian scientists successfully sent the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, India's first unmanned scientific mission to the moon. With the successful launch of Chandrayaan, India now has joined an exclusive club of nations including the US, former Soviet Union, European Space Agency, China and Japan to have sent missions to moon.

OK, as a patriotic Indian, I am happy and pround of this achievement by our scientific community and all that. But, I always wondered why go to moon at all. It is such a nice thing, all alone far away from all our human endeavours. One of the few romantic things left in life. Even at this ripe age, walking in / observing a full moon makes me glow and wonderful.

Why are our scientists keen on going to Moon?

Along with expressing their happiness on the historic moment, the country's top space scientists said in unison that with the first lunar mission from India, the country had entered a new era of planetary exploration.

Brought up with sentimental songs about moon right from childhood, it is a special thing and one would like to keep it going that way. This planetary exploration will surely erase all those sentimental and romantic stuff and will translate moon merely in terms of minerals and oxygen and yes, helium-3.

One of India's aims in reaching the moon is the possibility of harvesting helium 3, a key fuel for nuclear fusion. Although fusion is not commercially viable today, scientists say it one day will be, and that once it is a fuel, supply will become a problem, as the earth is believed to have only 15 tonnes of helium 3. The moon is thought to contain upto 5 milliion tonnes.

Oh my God! Surely this is the end of my dear moon. After finishing the coals of our tribal jungles and oil in remotest of places (after causing melting of ice in Alaska with exploration activities), now man has put a foot on moon also with this mission. It may be a small step today, but ironically, a giant step for the human kind in destroying moon and fighting over its resources. Now, countries will try to fight over the lunar territory?

Officials at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) remain tight-lipped about the possibility of a lunar land grab. U.R.Rao, a former director of ISRO, was less taciturn, pointing out that the moon might have 'enough helium 3 to produce energy for 8000 years'.

This view echoes that of the head of China's Chang's project, who told the China Daily in 2006 that 'each year three space shuttle missions could bring enough helium 3 for all human beings across the world.

If moon is any wiser, it should immediately release all its helium-3 into the space or wherever and free itself of any material that will be of interest to man. Otherwise, after some years, our kinds will be taught this way only :

நிலா நிலா ஓடி வா
நில்லாமல் ஓடி வா
மலை மேலே ஏறி வா
ஹீலியம்-த்ரீ கொண்டு வா

And, within a few years, I am sure we will manage to bring power-cuts into moon as well. Every Monday night, India will have lunar power-cut from 10 to 11 PM etc. Or, we will have two or three New Moons in a month; and the Full Moon will be restricted to once in 6 months or some such thing.

Instead of being romantic, the moon light may become like hot sun and lovers will associate moon only with their fights rather than the long lingering walks.

Why can't we leave nice things as they are?