Should we send men back to the Moon?: Malcolm Walter argues that our exploration there has barely begun. Image shows the Moon as captured by the NASA probe Galileo.

Credit: NASA

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There are, in fact, good scientific reasons for returning to the Moon. Our exploration there has barely begun, and if we are ever to send astronauts to Mars, practicing with sending them to the Moon is a good first step. After all, it takes only three days to get to the Moon, compared to at least six months to get to Mars.

China has now signalled that it will play a significant role in the exploration of the Solar System. Japan is building a substantial program, and India may not be far behind. Almost all Western nations have national space programs of some sort, as do several of the nations of South East Asia.

Australia stands out as an exception. We miss out on many opportunities as a result. We do not need, nor could we justify, a grand space exploration program of our own, but being participants in the programs of other nations would bring benefits in education, engineering, science and other fields of endeavour.

At present we mostly just hang back and watch as the rest of the industrialized world pushes back the frontiers of space. For a small investment we could share in the excitement and showcase and further develop our own undoubted skills in science and engineering.

This is yet another example of our frustratingly unimaginative approach to innovation. There are some hopeful signs of change. We live in exciting times, so let's get out there and participate.

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