Space ethics? Five questions for how we choose to use the moon

There are ethical questions that need to be answered regarding such planetary defence systems.

The Moon has always served as an inspiration for humanity, and there are many potential benefits for further exploration of our planet’s rocky satellite.

But we need to establish guidelines to prevent unethical behaviour on the Moon, particularly regarding the use of natural resources and off-planet labour.

How humans should interact with space and celestial objects is central to the emerging field of space ethics. It’s something I’ve been involved with since 2015, when I taught my first class on consent for the use of celestial objects at Yale University’s Summer Bioethics Institute.

As we prepare to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing, here are five things we need to reflect on regarding ethical considerations for various future uses of the Moon.

1) Human settlement on the Moon

Some people believe establishing human settlements on the Moon – and other bodies – may help lessen the environmental burden of overpopulation on Earth. While the practical issues of survival and maintaining communication receive a lot of attention in discussions of Moon settlements, the ethical considerations are often overlooked.

These include whether Moon-based humans would have the same legal and human rights as their counterparts on Earth. Would children born on the Moon even share the citizenship of their parents, or would they be stateless on Earth? And would they have a different physiology to Earth-born humans due to the reduced gravity on the Moon? A new breed of Moonians? Moonlings?

We need to consider the complexities of establishing independent governance of a Moon base to promote the development of a fair society for those living there. The Moon Village Association, a non-governmental organisation, is one body focused on exploring the possibilities of Moon settlement.

2) Mining the Moon

The Moon is already being considered as a mining site, or a base of operations for asteroid mining.

As with all mining projects on Earth, there are concerns about environmental sustainability and whether it is appropriate for mining corporations to profit from the commercialisation of natural resources in space.

Business Standard

First evidence of ancient groundwater system found on Mars: Scientists

Last year European Space Agency's Mars Express mission detected a pool of liquid water beneath the planet's south pole.

Business Standard : Scientists say they have found the first geological evidence of a system of ancient interconnected lakes that once lay deep beneath the surface of Mars, five of which may contain minerals essential for life.

According to researchers from Utrecht University in the Netherlands, Mars appears to be an arid world, but its surface shows compelling signs that large amounts of water once existed across the planet.

Last year European Space Agency's Mars Express mission detected a pool of liquid water beneath the planet's south pole.

A new study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, reveals the extent of underground water on ancient Mars that was previously only predicted by models.

"Early Mars was a watery world, but as the planet's climate changed this water retreated below the surface to form pools and 'groundwater'," said Francesco Salese from Utrecht University.

"We traced this water in our study, as its scale and role is a matter of debate, and we found the first geological evidence of a planet-wide groundwater system on Mars," Salese said in a statement.

The researchers explored 24 deep, enclosed craters in the northern hemisphere of Mars, with floors lying about 4000 metres below martian 'sea level' -- a level that, given the planet's lack of seas, is arbitrarily defined on Mars based on elevation and atmospheric pressure.

ALSO READ: Isro to go to Venus by 2023 after Mars success, human spaceflight plans

They found features on the floors of these craters that could only have formed in the presence of water.

Many craters contain multiple features, all at depths of 4000 to 4500 metres -- indicating that these craters once contained pools and flows of water that changed and receded over time.

Features include channels etched into crater walls, valleys carved out by sapping groundwater, dark, curved deltas thought to have formed as water levels rose and fell, ridged terraces within crater walls formed by standing water, and fan-shaped deposits of sediment associated with flowing water.

Nasa's InSight mission lands on Mars to explore its deep interior: See pics

'Today, we successfully landed on Mars for the eighth time in human history,' NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in his statement.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) InSight mission has finally touched down on the red planet on Monday (local time; around 1 p.m. of November 27 IST) after seven months of traveling through space.

CNN reported that a few minutes after landing, the InSight lander sent an official "beep" to NASA signaling its clear landing, including a photo of the Martian surface where it landed. The Mission Control at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory celebrated the touchdown of the lander through a great applause after the landing was confirmed.

"Today, we successfully landed on Mars for the eighth time in human history," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in his statement.

"InSight will study the interior of Mars and will teach us valuable science as we prepare to send astronauts to the Moon and later to Mars. This accomplishment represents the ingenuity of America and our international partners, and it serves as a testament to the dedication and perseverance of our team. The best of NASA is yet to come, and it is coming soon," CNN quoted Bridenstine as saying.

InSight, short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is the first outer space robotic explorer and will study the crust, mantle, and core of the fourth planet in our solar system.

The lander, launched on May 5, 2018, from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and took a six-month cruise from Earth to Mars ever since, is NASA's first spacecraft to land on Mars since Curiosity.

"We've studied Mars from orbit and from the surface since 1965, learning about its weather, atmosphere, geology and surface chemistry," said Lori Glaze, acting director of the Planetary Science Division in NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

"Now we finally will explore inside Mars and deepen our understanding of our terrestrial neighbor as NASA prepares to send human explorers deeper into the solar system," Glaze further added.

CNN quoted NASA saying that InSight slowed from 12,300 mph to 5 mph before it gently landed on the surface of Mars.

It has a parachute and retro rockets to slow its descent through the atmosphere, and three legs suspended from the lander absorbed the shock of touching down on the surface. But the scientists at the same time also prepared the spacecraft to land during a dust storm if need be.

About 20 minutes before landing, InSight separated from the cruise stage that helped bring it all the way to Mars and turned to position itself for entering the atmosphere.

Business Standard

Amul shifts focus to dark chocolates, gets ready to take on peers

GCMMF plans to get its mojo back in the market, say experts, focusing its attention on the discerning chocolate consumer.

Once a popular name in chocolates, Amul is taking a different route to regain market share as competition heats up in the Rs 85-billion category. The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), the owner of Amul, will focus on dark chocolates, known for bitter after-taste thanks to higher cocoa content, as opposed to regular chocolates.

Amul was the number three player until a few years ago on the back of a portfolio of largely regular chocolates. But, continued domination of Mondelez and Nestlé, who are the number one and two players in the category, and the entry of newer names such as Ferrero and Mars over the past few years has pushed Amul to the fringes of the category, sector experts say.

GCMMF plans to get its mojo back in the market, say experts, focusing its attention on the discerning chocolate consumer. The ball has been set rolling, explains R S Sodhi, managing director, GCMMF, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating a second chocolate plant at Anand, Gujarat, on Sunday.

“Our total in-house production capacity (for chocolates) will touch 1,200 tonnes per month following the launch of the second plant. Our old (chocolate) plant, located on the same premises as that of the new plant, could produce only 200 tonnes (of chocolate) per month. The new plant clearly increases our capacity substantially and a bulk of this capacity would be devoted to making dark chocolates. Our focus is on dark chocolate. There are consumers wanting a premium chocolate experience, which we want to give with our brand,” he says.

But, experts say GCMMF’s move to trade up is linked partly to the changing dynamics of the chocolate category. In the last one year and a half, rivals such as Nestlé have increased market activity in chocolates, which gives the firm over 12 per cent of its annual revenue, in line with its plan to reduce dependence on instant noodle Maggi. Close to half a dozen products have been launched in chocolates by Nestlé.

Chocolate bars, on the other hand, continue to be led by brands such as Cadbury from Mondelez. The challenges for GCMMF don’t stop there. Kolkata-based ITC is set to throw its hat in the regular chocolate market ring with a mass-market brand shortly.

B Sumant, president of ITC's FMCG business, had said in a recent conservation with Business Standard the company was looking at a wider audience after starting out in the luxury chocolate space with a brand called Fabelle. Sources say that ITC's new chocolate brand could be out by March next year, implying that GCMMF has much work to do.

Business Standard