| ID | 139176 |
| Title Proper | Asia’s lunar endeavours |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Bhalla, Puneet |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Interest in the exploration of the Moon, much like its phases, has waxed and waned since the beginning of space exploration. The quest for the Moon was an integral part of the space race between the Soviets and the Americans in the 1960s and 1970s, which resulted in a total of 65 missions, including the six manned missions by the US, before they both shifted focus to manned space stations and missions to Mars. Strategically or militarily, the Moon did not offer them much advantage. Scientifically, there was not much that was expected to be revealed after the first few missions. Economically, there was no great rationale for continuing a high cost programme from which few commercial gains could be expected at the time. Mars offered more opportunities for national prestige, scientific discovery as well as mining prospects. In the next few decades, although there were periodic statements about the potential of lunar exploration, these did not translate into actual efforts by any space-faring nation. |
| `In' analytical Note | CLAWS Journal Vol. , No. ; Sum.2015: p.133-150 |
| Journal Source | CLAWS Journal 2015-03 Summer, 2015 |
| Key Words | Space Policy ; Mission Mars ; Space Strategy ; National Prestige ; Lunar Exploration |