Explorations into Space have the potential to change the life of humanity on Mother Earth in most unexpected and fascinating ways. With NASA taking the lead in such explorations and entities like ISRO also being in the run, the future is filled with both hope and scope for unimaginable discoveries and opportunities. Orbital, sub-orbital and lunar Space Tourism on a commercial basis is already a craze and ‘reservation’ of seats is done for such flights that were once only a fancy. News now is of another feat by NASA—its first successful attempt to “use kinetic impact and alter the trajectory of a celestial body.” World’s first ‘planetary defence’ was achieved by the US space agency that rammed its spacecraft, DART, into an asteroid. The impact “carved” a crater in it, changed its orbit, and “nudged it” off the normal course. The relative speed of the spacecraft was 22,500 km per hour and its impact on the asteroid was ‘huge’. For the first time, it has been established that asteroids heading fiercely towards earth can be forced to change their course through human intervention. Threats can, in future, be averted on condition that work for this is initiated well in advance. The present action took place seven million miles away from earth.
Space explorations had its most promising times during the Cold War season, when the then USSR competed energetically with the US on several fronts. Though Luna 2 of Russia was the first rocket to land on the moon’s surface in 1959, US outwitted its rival and landed a human, Neil Amstrong, on the moon ten years later. The end of the Cold War between the two ‘Super-Powers’ also saw a progressive reduction in the frenzy for space explorations. An International Space Station, funded by the US, USSR and others, in later years made only slow progress. India, which occupied the third prominent position in space explorations, experienced failure when its spacecraft crashed on the moon’s surface in July 2019, but progressed with Chandrayaan 3. China’s national space administration, CNSA, is getting increasingly active. Some Gulf nations are also using their new-found oil wealth to engage in space explorations. Several explorations beyond the Moon, to Mars and elsewhere, are being attempted at. Space tourism is just a start. It could also lead, in future, to human habitations in Space, provided the conditions there are favourable. Explorations are the way forward. At another level, the age of space cars and bikes is for real already – China having demonstrated the test flying of a two-seater air taxi/bike at a Dubai show the other day.
