This week all eyes are focussed on the Ansari X Prize contest which promises a purse of $10 million (no less) to the first team that finances and launches a space ship capable of holding three or more people, and makes two trips in a span of two weeks to space (a height of 100 km is acceptable). Today, Michael Melvill, a veteran space pilot made the succesful trip with SpaceShipOne, a privately funded effort sponsored amongst others by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. In a related news, Sir Richard Branson, the maverick founder and CEO or the Virgin Group of UK, signed a deal with SpaceShipOne to launch Virgin Galactic, an intergalactic spaceliner that is expected to launch commercial space trips in 2007.While I would love to dedicate this posting to all that has been happening in the X-Prize front, I would rather discuss about something that I feel needs to be addressed.
Many a time, I have felt that the money spent on the space race between the nations of the world, and now rich entreprenuers could be channelised to developmental activities that uplift the living conditions of millions of poor people throughout the world. This is not to say that the entreprenuers are not doing enough to this effect. But given the amount of money and enthusiasm that is poured into making commercial space travel a reality, it also gives us a moment to ponder, is this all really necessary ? Is it not enough for man to walk on the moon that now we need to work and spend millions of research dollars on commercial space travel. To flog the same old reason once more, could the same money not be used for AIDS research ? Space travel is a fascinating subject and it not only demonstrates that man can go where he wishes to, but also serves to bring out the very best in science and technology. Unfortunately that same science does not have a cure for AIDS. The most recent SARS attack served as a stark reminder of the fact that there are diseases aplenty that could strike us and cripple not just a few people but large economies like China and other neighbouring Asian nations.
NASA's space research has been pioneering to say the least. It has also resulted in many technological advancements that have resulted in the betterment of our standards of living. But today, in its pursuit of conquering Mars, NASA has spent billions of dollars that definitely would and could have been used better. The question is not about NASA's purpose. The question is about how much and how far would man have to go, not to mention how many billion dollars need to be spent to prove our mastery over space and the universe when there are so many unsolved and life threatening issues that plague us in this very Earth ?
With every succesful space mission, a few million or more people are condemned to life and death due to starvation and disease. Is it really worth so much ?
1 comment:
thats right, this is going to start a whole new race for space. can't help it, lot of people have money and want to spend it for fun.
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