Chandrayaan-3's Shocking Potential: The First Step Towards Moon Habitation—What Lies Ahead?

New Delhi(The Uttam Hindu): The success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission will pave the way to understanding water sources, which is necessary to establish habitation on the Moon, said former NASA astronaut Mike Massimino on Thursday. Interacting with PM SHRI Kendriya Vidyalaya students in New Delhi, Massimino lauded the Chandrayaan-3 mission, which became the first in the world to land near the South Pole of the Moon on August 23, 2023. With its success, India also became the fourth nation after the erstwhile USSR (now Russia), the US, and China to make a soft landing on the Moon.

Massimino emphasised that the significance of the mission is “not just for India but for the global space community”. Its “achievement could provide key insights into water sources essential for habitation,” he added, while highlighting the challenges of landing on the Moon’s South Pole. Notably, the former astronaut stated that life on the Moon is possible sooner than Mars.

“While living on the Moon could become a reality soon, settling on Mars would take longer due to the technological challenges that still need to be overcome,” Massimino said, while underscoring the importance of international collaboration in future space programmes. Further, Massimino also spoke on AI's role in space exploration. “AI would streamline the process of space exploration, making them more efficient, cost-effective, and safe,” he said, while also advising students on the subjects and skills they should pursue if they aspire to a career in space exploration.

Massimino is the veteran of two space flights, the fourth and fifth Hubble Space Telescope servicing missions in 2002 and 2009. He also has a team record for the number of hours spacewalking in a single space shuttle mission. Massimino recounted how a movie based on seven astronauts inspired him to become an astronaut. Engaging with the students, he answered their questions about space exploration, the kind of food they had during their space trips, etc.

Sharing his personal experiences with students, the former astronaut described how he adapted to zero gravity, and how they worked and slept while in space. Currently, working as a professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia University and as the senior advisor for space programmes at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Massimino also emphasised the importance of exploring various fields, including soil sciences and marine biology.