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| Edited By: Dyuti Basu |Source: DNA |Updated: Dec 09, 2018, 06:00 AM IST
One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” said Neil Armstrong, on one of history’s most momentous occasions: setting foot on the moon. This “step”, however, was only one in a chronology of humankind’s fascination with the world beyond theirs, and can be traced as far back as history itself. And it can be traced forward till today, when the current conversation is around going to Mars, mining space and space tourism. About a couple of weeks ago, on November 26, NASA’s InSight (Interior Exploration Using Seismic Investigations) landed on the red planet with 1,38,899 Indian ‘passengers’ on board. No, they didn’t actually go there. But they did have their names sent up, etched in silicon wafer microchip; each name so small that they spanned no more than one 1000th of the width of human hair.
This episode is only the latest evidence of our obsession with space and the mysteries of the final frontier.
Astronomy, defined by the Oxford dictionary as “the branch of science which deals with celestial objects, space, and the physical universe as a whole”, is one of the most ancient sciences in the world. “Egyptians were obsessed with Orion because whenever this constellation appeared, they would have floods,” says astrophysicist Dr Mayank Vahia, a professor at Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, and emeritus of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR). “Stars form the night sky and their patterns have a repetitive consistency. They are also associated with seasons,” he further elaborates, explaining how early civilizations began looking heavenward for answers. Some of the earliest evidence can be found in Greek literature, such as the works of Homer and Hesiod, who have referred to cosmology in their works while not going into the science of it.
Then there are the many theories, perpetuated by Chariots of Gods? Unresolved Mysteries of the Past by Erich Anton Paul von Däniken, that look into the possibility of ancient technology being influenced by aliens. The pyramids, the Easter Island Moai and the Stonehenge are all put across as examples of extra terrestrial technology by Däniken. The book spawned sequels like Gods from Outer Space and The Gods Were Astronauts and became one of the plot points for the cult classic Star Trek. Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull also takes some pointers from these theories.
“As people started accumulating wealth, they wanted to know what the future holds. So, the sky became instrumental in predicting the future,” states Dr Vahia, adding, “Early on, the fascination came from their usefulness and sheer beauty. So it starts out with worshipping Mother Earth and Father Sky, then the belief that Father Sky can give you answers as to what the future can hold. From the 18th century onward, the fascination shifted to finding out the components of space. And in late 20th century and 21st century, the concentration has mostly been on physically going there – to the last of the great wonders.”
In ancient Greece, Aristotle may have written about horror vacui, or “nature abhors vacuum” (a theory that led people to the conclusion that the spaces beyond the earth cannot be empty). But it would take much longer for scientists to establish even the existence of space, much less send someone there. Neil Armstrong’s historical dialogue came only on July 16, 1969, when the ‘giant step’ was taken. Apart from Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, who went up on the first mission, Pete Conrad, Alan Bean, Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell, David Scott, James Irwin, John Young, Charles Duke, Eugene Cernan, and Harrison Schmitt have also walked on Earth’s natural satellite.
Cernan and Schmitt were the last two to do so in 1972. Since then, the focus has shifted from sending people there to discovering what’s on and below its surface. Man has also looked at the next big landing spot – Mars.
While India is at least “10 years behind America and Russia in space technology,” according to Dr Vahia, three Indians were among the chosen people for the NASA project to send people up to the red planet as settlers. “Of all the great adventures, space is the last adventure that remains. We have covered the whole globe. The sea and space are the two places we are yet to explore. And of the two, space is of more interest since it is more visible,” explains the astrophysicist.
Perhaps there is also a basic need to survive and to understand what drives the need to figure out how the world works beyond the reaches of our blue planet. “The only habitable planet where we can stay in the future is Mars.
There is a 90 per cent chance of there being microorganisms there. So, finding out about Mars is important at this level,” explains Suresh Chopra, a Geography teacher in a Bhawanji Bhai Chauhan Jr College, Chandrapur, Maharashtra, who has been associated with NASA Science and NASA Social for over a decade. “Also, if we unravel the mysteries of space, we may find ways to avoid a disaster closer home. A simple example would be keeping an eye on any asteroids that may be heading for Earth. A more complex one would involve studying how Mars’ water supply drained away, and whether the same can occur here.”
Chopra is one of the 1,38,899 Indians who had sent his name to Mars via the NASA InSight robotic lander that’s studying the deep interiors of the planet even as you read this. When asked about the reason he sent his name, the space enthusiast, whose Sky Watch Group has been sensitising people about cosmic activities since 1995, says, “I have received invitations to come down for NASA conferences, but couldn’t go due to lack of funds. So when they reached out, saying that they wanted some ideas to be sent to them, and in return they would send my name up, of course I did,” he smiles. “I had written a paper on Mars, Life Did Not Come From Mars, countering Paul Davis (from Adelaide University), who had claimed that it has. So sending my name seemed like the thing to do.”
Less enthusiastic about the results of getting a ‘ticket to Mars’, Delhi-based Rajeshwar Singh says that it doesn’t feel all that great since there were over 2,42,9807 other names along with his. “Still, going through the process, I found it a fun to send the name to the Mars with the InSight shuttle. I found out about the form on NASA’s official Facebook page, filled up the online form on their website and soon enough, my ticket was in my hand.”
The need to own comes as the step after exploration, says Dr Vahia. Sending names up to the red planet is only a sign of this. More blatant, perhaps, are the fraudulent websites and agencies that claim to sell land on the moon and Mars. One of the earliest recorded claims to extraterrestrial real estate was made by a man named A Dean Lindsay in 1936, who said that he owned all the planets and that they would henceforth be named AD Lindsay Archapellago (he got the spelling of ‘archipelago’ wrong). Ironically, Lindsay passed away months before Apollo 11 made history and landed on the moon.
Pehaps then, less ambitious are those who ‘gift’ stars to each other. Several private companies let you name a star of your choosing. Gifting these for birthdays and special occasions has become quite the rage. “Name a star happens to be one of our best-sellers. While we started with a single star, people’s enthusiasms led us to launch another best-seller called Star for Couples, where people can book two stars, one for them and one of their better halves. We have also launched a new service of booking ‘land on the moon’ and the response for this has been overwhelming too,” says a spokesperson from Oye Happy, one of the Indian brands associated with star gifting, who says that stars are gifted not only on birthdays and anniversaries, but also on Mother’s Day, Rakshabandhan and Teacher’s Day.
These names are as legitimate as space real estate – they hold absolutely no water legally. The International Astronomical Union (IAU), which is the only body that can legally name stars, has an entire section that explains the impossibility of buying stars. “Names are not sold, but assigned according to internationally accepted rules,” says the IAU website, which also asserts, “Names assigned by the IAU are recognised and used by scientists, space agencies, authors of astronomical literature, and other authorities worldwide.”
So what relevance does the piece of paper that tells you you own a star, have? “An expensive piece of paper and a temporary feeling of happiness, like if you take a cup of tea instead of the doctor’s recommended medicine,” according to the website.
While these scams are largely harmless, or, at the most, costly to the gullible, scientists are more concerned with the concept of privatisation of space. “Until recently, government agencies were the only bodies conducting space missions and these were governed by international laws stating that no individual or country can own space,” explains Dr Vahia. “The UN has had specific mandates about mining undersea, Antarctic and space resources. Now, private agencies are coming into play and international laws do not yet cover that issue. They need to extend to private expansion.”
Among those companies that are at the head of this race, of course, is SpaceX, headed by none other than Elon Musk, whose ‘colonise Mars’ slogan has been heard across the globe. And who can forget the time when he sent a Tesla Roadster with a dummy driver to space? “We want to open up space for humanity, and in order to do that, space must be affordable,” is one of his quotable quotes. On another instance, he said, “I think the most important thing is to create a self-sustaining city on Mars.”
However, with a privatisation of space, there is a chance for exploitation – an aspect that has historically followed the exploration phase of mankind’s endeavours. “NASA is encouraging private companies to go to the moon, and when they go there, they will begin mining it,” warns Dr Vahia. “While this is not a concern so much environmentally, it is a concern in terms of ownership and international politics.”
With so many aspects to take into account, the questions remain, can humankind conquer the final frontier? And, even if they can, should they?
A unique venture in owning selling actual bits of the moon as a part of the watch was made by the Swiss watch company Romaine Jerome –Moon Dust-DNA watches – that incorporates moon dust and fragments along with bits of Soyuz and Apollo XI. The series, when it was launched in 2009, started from USD 15,000.
When NASA launched the InSight outreach project, they made sure to send all participants whose names they send to Mars a 'ticket' to show that they managed to nab a 'seat'. Many put up these tickets on Facebook and other social media platforms
