If there’s one thing Australia does far worse than just about any other country, it’s publicizing its science. Australia’s first Moon rover is no exception. I hadn’t heard of it myself.
It’s called Roover because it’s Australian, and it is quite a hop to the Moon. It’s small, painstakingly built to scale, and it has the advantage of current technology. It’s not an El Cheapo exercise. This mission is all about functionality.
The Australian Space Agency has put together some useful information regarding the rover. This is a major step forward and outwards for the long-suffering Australian space sector. Finally, some budget is getting into the mix.
Leaving out the sheer strategic ignorance, ineptitude, and idiocy of putting our space tech on the back burner for so long, this is a must for Australia with many tangible rewards. There are some huge positives already appearing in the new generation approach.
The Australian nanosatellite SpiRIT made its point over a grueling 25 months in orbit recently. The satellite successfully completed an X-ray research mission in the process.
The new space research and exploration environment is totally different from the 20th century. Cost efficiencies and science are very much on the same page. The Australian programs are reflecting this move to pure mission realities.
There’s a preliminary point to be made here.
A gigantic old-style space infrastructure can also build in heritage inefficiencies and instant redundancies on all levels. The never-sufficiently-reviled, absurdly dangerous orbital junkyard is a good example of big mistakes.
OK, the old tech didn’t have much choice about what it could send up, but the mismanagement is unforgivable. If nanosatellites can do these jobs, they can replace the museum up there with better functionality and much better tech. The next generation will be much easier to manage and far less dangerous.
The science is fascinating, but underpinning the science is sheer unambiguous realism. Space is about to become big business in more ways than just sending up missions. With the new missions come new tech, new materials, new AI science, and a virtual encyclopaedia of opportunities for human advancement.
This is where Australia is definitely getting it right in more ways than one. The new Moon rover is built to deliver real value on a realistic, sustainable scale. The nanosatellites could be the most useful peripherals ever mounted in space, both around Earth and the rest of the solar system.
This new tech is rewriting the script. No more logistical hernias. New research doesn’t have to carry the can for sheer bulk and mass. Experimentation becomes more affordable and easier to do. Commitments of money, time, and resources become less onerous.
It’s getting hyper-competitive up there. The Chinese space program alone is breaking barriers on a routine basis. The European Space Agency is delivering a spread of science and tech that continues to expand both the range and scope of missions. If America finally overcomes its moronic opposition to its own greatest achievements, things could get interesting.
The intellectual property values of these technologies cannot be overstated. Just as the original space programs before them, the new space science will inevitably return to Earth in any and every consumer form, from frying pans to robots able to explore a teenager’s room.
Once a jolly swag-rover camped by a valley on Mars? Yeah, it’ll happen.
Well done, all. This could be fun.
