![]() Whoever manages to bring back these elements, it could generate billions of dollars for them.” But we also explore because ultimately it all boils down to economics. We explore because everyone else is exploring and it’s important for us to make our mark. “We also explore as an insurance policy for humanity, which can be wiped out at any second if a large enough asteroid collides with Earth, as happened with the dinosaurs. “We explore space because we are curious beings,” says Anil Bhardwaj, astrophysicist, planetary scientist, and director of the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, a unit of the government’s Department of Space and a national space research institute. The new space race is a more quiet but equally frenetic one focused on who can first figure out how to get at these precious resources, and transport them home, or find ways to build around them on the lunar surface. ![]() It also holds rare minerals and elements, including stores of titanium and helium-3 that could be used to power nuclear fusion plants. This naked rock devoid of atmosphere, rotating in time with Earth, about 1.3 light seconds away, is a vital stepping stone for interplanetary exploration. The earth’s core has had more of a starring role in Hollywood than our steadfast satellite.īut for the scientific community, the promise that the moon holds has never been greater. Major missions have focused on Mars and the Sun so has popular culture.
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