Since time immemorial poets, writers and astrologers have looked at the moon for writing romantic poetry, prose or predicting future events. However, the pragmatic space scientist and technologists look at the moon as a new source of unlimited energy and precious minerals. They view it as a launching pad for deep space probes, for setting up factories to take advantage of low gravity and as a command centre for future wars as it adds a fourth strategic dimension after land, sea and air. The “space age” began on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite.

Launching of Chandrayaan-1 from Sriharikota, carrying with it 11 payloads of various scientific instruments with independent objectives - from mapping the lunar surface to conducting chemical and mineralogical mapping, is a pathbreaking initiative by India to put its stake on the bounties of the moon. India joins a select band of countries, namely the USA, Russia and China, to unfurl its national flag on the moon. India has to move fast as other nations have already got a headstart in their quest to establish their bases. The present scenario is the same as that in the 15th century, when European nations in search of new resources and opportunity started colonising the world. The trail- blazing journey of Neil Armstrong can be compared to that of Columbus or Vasco da Gama.

Millions of dollars being spent in space missions to the moon is a strategic investment which will not only reap unimaginable benefits in the future, but may prove as a lifeline for the country to satisfy the needs of the world’s second largest population with limited natural resources. India’s energy sources at the present rate of consumption, which is nearly 20 times less than the developed countries, will only last for half a century.

Our quest for becoming a super power will be severely compromised if we do not have access to new resources such as helium-3 which is considered as an ultimate source of energy and is available in abundance at the moon. It is such a powerful source of energy that a mere 25 tonnes of helium-3, which can be transported on a single shuttle flight, will be sufficient to meet the energy needs of India for a number of years. Only 30 kg of helium-3 is available on earth. On the other hand the moon holds nearly one million tonnes of helium-3 as a result of continuous shower of helium-3 in solar winds due to the absence of atmosphere and magnetic field.

The energy potential of helium-3 on the moon is 10 times more than all the fossil fuels on the earth. The value of a 25-tonne load of helium-3 would be of the order of $ 100 billion. Helium-3 can be extracted from the rocks\dust by heating them above 600 degrees Celsius. This will not be a problem as solar energy is abundantly available on the moon and solar furnaces or solar towers, already developed, can easily produce temperatures higher than 1000 degrees Celsius.

When helium-3 combines with deuterium (an isotope of hydrogen) the fusion reaction proceeds at a very high temperature and it can produce awesome amounts of energy. One kg of helium-3 burned with 0.67 kg of deuterium gives us about 19 megawatt-years of energy output. Scientists say that the reactor would be safe in terms of radioactive elements and could be built right in the heart of any city.

Abundant supply of silicon on the moon can be used to make solar cells using solar thermal power and taking advantage of low gravity and lack of atmosphere. The electricity generated by these solar cells can be used for moon based industrial and residential complexes and can also be beamed to earth receivers using already developed microwave technologies. The intensity of the microwave beam will be less than the noon time sun. However, powerful microwave energy beams can also be used as a potent strategic weapon in all the four theatres of war.

Moon soil blocks and iron, available in abundance on the moon, could be used to build structures on the moon. Oxygen available in the rocks can be used to make air for human settlements and liquid oxygen and hydrogen are excellent rocket fuel. Water can be prepared from lunar rocks by heating them, which causes their hydrogen to react with oxygen. Ice has been detected in the polar areas. Special alloys and crystal can be produced from aluminium, titanium, iron and magnesium in zero gravity and can be used in special applications on the earth and in making spacecraft and to go deeper into space. Carbon and nitrogen on the moon could be combined with other elements for growing food on the moon.

The USA has re-energised its moon programme, keeping in view the vast potential of the resources on the moon. An ambitious programme to build a manned base on the moon by 2020 has been unveiled by US President George W. Bush. Russia and China have similar plans and a race to the moon has started in full earnest. Thus, the moon mission is one of the most important, ambitious and timely strategic initiative of India after the Antarctic mission and the nuclear deal.

ISRO needs to be complemented for taking the indigenous Indian space programme to this level of sophistication, in spite of crippling international sanctions on the import of dual technologies. The choice of the rim of the Shackleton crater at the South Pole of the moon for exploration by Chandrayaan-1 is a right move. The USA is also eyeing this location for its moon base. It is a strategic location with moderate temperature and availability of sunlight for nearly 90 per cent of time, which makes it suitable for solar thermal applications and power generation. This location is also close to the Malapert Mountain, a 5-km high mountain that has a direct view of both the lunar South Pole and the earth, an ideal location for a radio relay station.

In order to reap full benefits of the moon mission, a well structured and mission mode collaborative programme should be initiated by different government agencies for the development of up and down stream technologies for lunar applications. This is essential as India lacks expertise in critical areas such as high temperature solar applications and thermal energy storage, zero gravity process technologies and food production in artificial environment with zero gravity.