[Geo4All] Water on the Moon: international prize launches for purifying lunar water

[Suchith Anand]

Dear colleagues,


An Indian space mission Chandrayaan-1  in 2009  found evidence of water on the moon concentrated at the poles , raising hopes that a manned base could be established there within the next two decades.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/sep/24/water-moon-space-exploration-india


Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed near the lunar South Pole in 2023 and India became the first country to land near the lunar south pole.  This is paving the way for future crewed missions and even bases on the Moon's surface.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-66594520

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-66654775


>From humble beginnings in sheds (the equipments were carried in a bicycle and a bullock cart!) to becoming the first country to land near the South Pole on the Moon, to missions to Mars , India's space journey is an epic tale of ingenuity and resourcefulness.  Story of India’s amazing space journey at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL94XhNbwQ4


India’s space mission will inspire millions of students from all over the world (including students from economically poor backgrounds in the Global South) to STEM education and space science education.


India’s idea of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ is resonating across the world. This human-centric approach has been welcomed by all. India’s space mission is also based on this principle. India’s success belongs to all of humanity.


It is good to see many countries now working on space missions to Moon.


Water on the Moon: international prize launches for purifying lunar water


The joint UK-Canada £1.2 million Aqualunar Challenge is launching to support development of water-purifying technologies for the Moon.


Details of the competition at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/water-on-the-moon-international-prize-launches-for-purifying-lunar-water


I request the UK Government, UKRI and UK universities to work together on a UK Space Science Education Plan to rapidly expand Space Science research and education in the UK. I request UK universities to provide full scholarships for UK students from economically poor families and first generation students (first in family to go to University) studying  Earth Observation, geospatial science, data science, geography, environmental science, climate science and space science courses in all UK universities. This is key to build Space Sector Skills for delivering a skilled, diverse, and sustainable space sector workforce.


Details at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa-jisc.exe?A2=GIS-UK;9d210162.2401


Best wishes


Suchith



Dr Suchith Anand

Senior Adviser to Governments and International Organisations | Scientist | AI Ethics | AI Governance | Policy | Consultant in Data and AI Ethics | Global Citizen | SDG Volunteer and Advocate



https://council.science/profile/suchith-anand/

https://www.rd-alliance.org/users/suchith-anand

https://ethicaldatainitiative.org<https://ethicaldatainitiative.org/>


This message and any attachment are intended solely for the addressee and may contain confidential information. If you have received this message in error, please contact the sender and delete the email and attachment. Any views or opinions expressed by the author of this email do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nottingham. Email communications with the University of Nottingham may be monitored where permitted by law.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/geoforall/attachments/20240117/d78b513b/attachment.htm>