The Chandrayaan and allied projects all over the world are welcome features that have taken technology to a new high. But there is also a mad rush for travelling in the first spacecraft to Mars in the near future, what with Mission Mars being in the news. It would transport many including possibly some Indians willing to be among the first lot to visit the Red Planet.
The passengers could be called “spacengers” as they travel to another planet. They know very well that it would take not less than five years to travel to Mars and that they would not return. The thrill involved in exploring a new area compels the enthusiasts to go to Mars. It is expensive, any way you look at it. The euphoria has also forced them to ask if the time, energy, money and life spent after a travel to Mars is worth it.
Though the distance is shortened by air, for the ultimate pilgrimage to Mecca or Muktinath, the pilgrims are supposed to have led a contented life; should not have any commitment like a daughter’s marriage or son’s employment. That would be a hindrance to their spiritual goals. This is so because in the olden days, the pilgrimage was undertaken on foot and it would take years to complete it. The person may or may not return. For a trip to Mars, that too with the return trip clearly impossible, the mad rush is surprising. The trip to Mars and into space is also an ultimate journey, not only physically but also spiritually. It would be extremely difficult to communicate Martian experiences to denizens of this world. It could be painful in Mars without being able to communicate effectively.
We do not know the dangers that could visit us in a foreign planet. Doctors are also stunned during surgeries at times as new problems crop up which were not visualised in X-ray scans. Likewise, unfavourable temperature or climatic conditions in Mars could be contrary to what research suggests. It is practically impossible to predict how the human body would react to those conditions.
Under the circumstances, the experiments do not need ordinary humans for the Missions, but enlightened souls. Apart from being trained to walk, jump or eat in another planet, the intrepid travellers could also be taught to master yoga and meditation for a couple of years before taking them on-board the spacecraft.
The techniques of yoga and meditation are good bets to help them adapt to Mars. Telepathy, a mode of communication of spiritual gurus possible only through deep meditation, could also come in handy in communicating with those in Mother Earth. Spiritually enlightened persons could even visualise what is happening in Mars now. Conversely, can’t they visualise what is happening in Earth from Mars? Though this may not sound good to the atheists, the science of it would make us think deeper.