Diverting our gaze

Last week, the 50th anniversary of man landing on the moon was celebrated.

Since that famous flight, much of the public interest rapidly ebbed, even though America completed six missions to the moon in quick succession.

Despite 50 years having passed, only 12 men set foot on the moon, and none since 1972.

In the meantime, several countries have sent probes there. Russia, China, the European Space Agency and India have sent unmanned missions. Some were successful, some not.

In fact, a probe from India is on its way to land a rover on the surface. This effort is aimed at the moon’s south pole, t...