Space Exploration -- Boon or Bane By R Vijay Kumar ( ISRO ) A mad race for arms during the Cold War

, has not benefitted anyone. Even though the US had some temporary gains , the results of over spending and years of excesses has meant that the US is in a period of prolonged slow growth. Now , another Cold war is threatening the world . This time , it is between the neo super powers of the world India and China. However , it is not a arms race . it is a SPACE RACE Each country has allocated over 15% of its budget on the search forrom resources in outer space. Since the Earth is fast running out of natural resources ,India and China are looking for resources elsewhere to sustain their growth story. The insatiable hunger of the Chinese and Indian industry has almost led both the countries to a Space race. On the lines of major English blockbusters , the Space race is very technology intensive and requires massive capitals to be invested. The resulting drain on the economies might not be measurable but its staggering. The race for developing colonies on Moon and Mars, and the subsequent plans of transporting the minerals from those planets has major ramifications. The major revolt is from the environmental groups who oppose materials to be imported from other planets. The second threat is from within. There is a growing sense of insecurity in the economies of India and China, thanks to the enormous strain on the respective economies from this mad rush for space resources which has reached alarming levels. However , at a joint summit in Tibet , the Indian PM Rahul Gandhi and the Chinese President Leek Van Yew , have categorically denied the strain on the economies and stressed on the benefits of the space program. Things might look rosy from the outside , but , experience gives us events from which we need to learn the lessons. USSR collapsed from the Cold War. US has ensued deep scars and whose ramifications are seen till date. The race to win over the resources in extraterrestrial territories is not solving the problem but enhancing it. Imminent increase in the space budgets might not surprise the world , but they are indirectly increase the temperature of the stove on which the stew is simmering. Let us pray that the unthinkable should not happen. Else , the world would plunge into a deep abyss of economic depression , which is unheard of. The economic crises in 1930 and in 2012 would appear to be a tiny speck when India and China collapse due to this maddening rush for space exploration.

Lessons need not be taught , they need to be learnt.