The Australian space program is one of the most under-publicized space programs. Most of our work has been glued to NASA since before the first Moon landing. We helped with communications with the Apollos. We do a lot of radio astronomy with other space agencies. We send up space experiments.
What we do NOT usually do is send much of our own hardware into space. A few bits and pieces here and there, at most. We did succeed in losing a very expensive satellite a few years back, but not much else of note.
The Moon rover is a giant step for a country that should have been jogging along since the 1960s. That is now finally changing with the first Australian Moon rover.
This is actually a huge deal in one very specific way. Aussies extremely tired of Australian governments underrating and more seriously badly undervaluing our science are finally getting some vindication. This has been decades in the making at the cultural level, as well.
The Moon rover itself has a simple but efficient-looking simple exterior with as much tech as can be packed into it. It has an articulated arm, and solar panels, and looks a bit like an upgrade of one of the earlier small Mars rovers.
We have of course taught the rover to hop, carry slabs of beer, do mining surveys, and make movies. The big deal now is naming it.
There was a competition for naming the rover. The four surviving names are very Australian. “Roo-ver” was absolutely unavoidable for me. We had to include that name, or people might think we were silly.
The other big issue here is mission viability. We’re pretty used to dusty dry places and long commutes. A 250,000-mile journey isn’t much more than a peak-hour Sydney commute, really. Anyone who’s done time on Parramatta Road or Military Road wouldn’t give it a second thought.
If this mission works, there’s a lot to be said for doing some good science and exploration on a larger scale. Our quaint little cottage mining industry could be inspired to do some useful work, too. The Moon has unique minerals which include energy sources and any number of theories about their value.
Proof of concept is a strange thing. A perfectly straightforward idea has to jump through hoops to prove itself. We’re well within our tech capabilities. This mission is a very good option that will deliver valuable science and probably IP as well. Prove what?
It’s taken so long! …But it will be worth it.
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Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.
