Abhishek Sharma

Space has been the subject of human fantasy for thousand of years. What is beyond the sky is a question that still excites us. Due to the various technological advancements made in the field of aeronautics, we have been able to some degree answer the above question.

The credit of such advancements surely goes to the United States and Russia (former USSR), but today the times have changed, several other nations including the European nations, Japan, China and India are `space powers’ also.

India? (You ask) - Yes, India, our India! A little known truth is that we - Indians stand with our heads held high - among the handful of nations who have the capability to manufacture and launch our own satellites. We have often been called an emerging `superpower in the field of Aerospace’. We have built a range of advanced satellite launch vehicles, namely the SLV, the ASLV, the PSLV, and the GSLV, which can easily launch satellites of various weights into different orbits.

From testing the toy-like sounding rockets a few decades ago, to launching the monstrous GSLV into space, ISRO has developed with such a speed that does all Indians proud. However the task is not yet over yet. Indian space science has a lot of catching up to do. While the USA has reached the farthest bodies of our solar system, we have not been able to reach even the Moon.

ISRO is planning a moon-shot to reach the so-called “ Chanda Mama”. If it succeeds, then it will be a giant achievement for a nation whose future has often been described as “ poor, gloomy and dark”. Though the future appears rosy, the path to the moon however isn’t a bed of roses; we will have to cross a lot of hurdles and impediments. Several technological milestones will have to be passed before we reach our destination. India still lacks the basic infrastructure that is needed in order to fulfill our plans. Our production facilities also need a makeover. India also lacks the skilled manpower in this field. We also lack the experience of executing such projects. Furthermore, the budget allotted to ISRO should be raised as its no match at all to what its counterparts get in other countries. A graphic to illustrate these milestones is given below:

One solution to solve some of the above problems might be to collaborate with other nations, which are technically advanced than India. By doing this we shall be able to exchange our expertise in one field with theirs in another.

Improvements in this field of space research will also do a lot to catapult India in the group of developed nations. This will be due the technological spin-offs that could result from crossing the aforementioned technological milestones. Expertise in this field would mean speedy development of our nation industrially, financially and militarily. Industrial development would largely be due to the development in our aircraft industry, which would in turn, help us financially. Expertise obtained in the space program could be transferred to other areas of aerospace technology.

At this point of time, ISRO is not looking beyond its dream project, a mission to reach the moon. It may sound odd that in an age when other countries are planning missions to Mars that India is planning to visit moon but only an Indian can understand the importance of this mission.

Although, human feet had reached the moon in 1969, but even today, it is not child’s-play to send a man to moon. The most manageable mission at this stage would be to first send and unmanned spacecraft to the moon and then after carefully studying all aspects of the flight, send the first Indian to step on to the soil of The Moon. It can be illustrated as below:

It will also be essential for ISRO to develop a long-range rocket and a capable spacecraft to take us to the moon. This mission may involve some risk but it is a must to show the superiority of Indian technology over the rest of Asia. What a day would it be when the first ever Indian will step on the land where Neil Armstrong walked 34 years ago!

If this project turns successful, then India will be major power in the field of space and aeronautics. The readers must remember that this moon mission will be just a stepping-stone for us. An important question that will arise after the Moon Mission is likely to be: What’ll we do after reaching Moon? Well, what about Mars, Venus or Mercury? For the next few decades I feel we should continue to explore our solar system. The best thing would be join the ISS (International Space Station) and work with other countries. This would open new avenues for Indian astronauts. After launching ourselves as a super power in this field, we should provide launching facilities for foreign satellites. This would enrich us financially. India should also look towards Space Tourism as it is predicted to boom in a few decades.

By 2020, space would have been reduced to a picnic spot. It will no longer be difficult to reach there. By the advancements made by organizations in space tourism in this age, it is not exaggerating to say that thousands of space tourists like Dennis Tito would have enjoyed the sparkling beauty of the Universe by 2020. As we march ahead we must also take pause, and give thought to the possibility of causing “Space Pollution”. Hundreds of tons of space debris revolving all around the earth could easily impede our march to space. An even more dangerous probability is the development of Space Weapons. USA, Russia and some other military powers have already started work on such deadly weapons. Such weapons would be able to create havoc on ground and will also be able to defend against incoming missiles. Alluring as this prospect may seem to a world threatened by rogue states, we cannot shut our minds to the possibility of misuse of these systems. Thus, space can be used for used for both destructive and constructive purposes. It’s up to us how we use it.

As we increase our presence in Space, we must always bear with us the humbling thought that some as yet unknown force gave rise to our planet Earth and the Human race from this void that we now seek to dominate.