Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'NASA manages to reach Pluto at last' that was published in Newsband

NASA manages to reach Pluto at last

On July 14 NASA’s New Horizons became the first spacecraft to successfully fly by the dwarf planet Pluto, the last unexplored world in the Solar System. The dwarf planet is geologically active with an internal heat source that drives the engine. The planet has high mountains, possible volcanoes, fault lines, rift valleys and other features which underline the presence of active tectonics.

Getting as close as 12,500 km of the dwarf planet after travelling for nearly a decade and covering a distance of nearly 5 billion km is an extraordinary achievement. With exploration being second nature to humans, it is expeditions such as these that awaken curiosity and fire our interest in science.

Space exploration has always had the power to hold ordinary people under a spell. India’s moon mission Chandrayaan-1 and the recent Mars Orbiter Mission Mangalyaan, certainly rekindled interest in science among students.

US is the only country to have sent spacecrafts to all the planets in our solar system. It is fantastic and laudable achievement. Exploring the space with the weapons of science and technology require huge chunks of funds where US never steps back. India too needs to emulate this in terms of funding research and development projects.

NASA has indeed performed an amazing feat. Human brain has explored areas, beyond imagination. Just like earth one day there would be life on other planets too but different that are in connivance with other planet conditions.

In America, the students are taught science & technology. Their curriculum are based on syllabi on emerging & thrust areas. So, US is always achieving or inventing something or the other. In India the syllabus is made on the diktats of religious leaders and myth is given more importance than Science & Technology. So-called babas are made members of technical institutions like IITs, NITs, Central Universities, etc. If the present policy is continued, India will be erased from the map of world Science & Technology. Indian educational sector should be freed from the present communal-based syllabus and recruitment system.

"Science is an art" and "art is a science", separating them is hurting both. It is the need of the hour that India moves forward on both. India should now prioritize such missions now after success of MOM. Now is the time to take incentive rather than wait for others to perform and then act on the references.

 However, remember, Pluto is orbited by a heavy moon and it may play an important role. The excitement is not only in these mega projects but also plenty of excitement on the other extreme in Nano science where India can focus on. These projects could reverse the trend in the interest in science.

Anyway, it is a great technological and scientific achievement on the part of US. However, unfortunately, all other planets in our Solar system do not support life forms found on Earth. Hence they are of little use to life as we know it. But what about regions outside our Solar system? Who knows? The Galaxy is vast and endless. Maybe somewhere out there, life of some type does exist and thrive.