New Delhi, India: November 8, 2008 –IR Summary- Dr. Raj Baldev, Cosmo Theorist from India - Shashi Kala sought for the views of Dr. Raj Baldev what he would like to say about ultimate aim of the Moon Missions, particularly of Chandraan 1 by India which is going to release its feat today on the Moon.

Dr. Raj Baldev said, “The countries involved in Moon Missions are eventually interested to explore the possibility of creating and growing plants and animal life over there so that the people should have proper food to survive, will it be possible is a main question.

“This issue looks to have come to focus since India's first unmanned lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-1 gets ready to drop a probe on to the moon's surface.

“P. Sreekumar, head of the space astronomy and instrumentation division at the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) satellite centre, cautions has revealed that India’s plan is to try to grow food on the moon in a bubble, even though there is no guarantee whether plants and animals from the Earth grown in such hothouses would stand the test.

“Afterall the astronauts in future missions on the Moon would definitely require food and that’s got to be provided to them if the scientists wish man to settle at Moon.
Dr. Raj Baldev continued: “In my opinion it is not simple, scientists are on the job to create water and oxygen and university scholars are doing their best to find out some technique to help them to arrange fresh food for the astronaut.

“The scientists can’t rule out radiation, its dust might hold within, so its not yet known how the radiation will react? The Indian scientists are examining this aspect, what kind of mutations can possible happen to living organisms carried from the Earth,” Dr. Raj Baldev said.

As per IANS interview with Sree Kumar, it has revealed certain vital information:

Human settlement on the moon will depend on the ability not only to grow food and breathable air but also to move around. NASA unveiled a new moon rover Oct 26 that will allow astronauts to travel up to 1,000 km without getting out. It will have large transparent windows.

The US is designing rovers that can be nuclear-powered. India is not looking at that kind of design said Sree kumar.

Chandrayaan-2 will have a proper rover, likely to be Russian-made, landing on the moon.

The astronauts have to handle another problem. There is a huge amount of dust that arises on the surface of the moon and enters space suits Sree kumar pointed out. It is very difficult to work in the dusty atmosphere.

The first impact probe from Chandrayaan-1 will crash on to the lunar surface, raising dust clouds which will be captured by instruments and analyzed to see what it is made of.

Lunar dust can be radioactive. The rovers that will finally have to be used on the moon will have to be like walking air-conditioned and dust-proof houses, letting astronauts on the moon work in a completely dust-free atmosphere.