Highlighting the need to 'ignite the minds' of students to inspire them to make discoveries, former President A P J Abdul Kalam has proposed establishing a World Space Council, which could oversee the planning and implementation of 'exploration, space security and societal missions.'

"Such a unified approach will enable the world to see a quantum jump in the progress in space science and technology for the benefit of all the nations of the world," Kalam said, while delivering a lecture at the Rice University in Houston.

The former President anticipates that more international partnerships will be formed to help countries and organisations share competencies and undertake the financial and management burdens associated with such large, complex activities.

About the World Space Council proposed by him, he said it could, with global participation, oversee the planning and implementation of exploration, space security and societal missions.

He stressed the need to 'ignite the minds' and attract the imagination of young students in order to inspire them to make discoveries relevant to the World Space Vision 2050.

Kalam, also a renowned scientist, called for all space-faring nations to optimise their space capabilities by contributing substantially in technology and resources.

One such model, in which India participates, is the Pan-African e-Network, a $100 million initiative of 53 pan-African countries designed to improve education, health-care and e-governance.

Kalam believes international cooperation of the magnitude he envisions will speed the transformation of space science into broader applications.

Kalam believes that by 2050, the distribution of energy across the world would be via solar power and solar-powered satellites, worldwide electronic connectivity through a constellation of communication satellites, provision of safe drinking water using technology designed to desalinate seawater through solar power and development of an industrial complex on the moon and an alternate habitat on Mars [Images].

With the advances in space science and technology and the future possibilities, Kalam visualises what will be the space profile in 2050, with the focus of World Space Vision 2050, being provided with the leadership by World Space Council.      

It would be a world, where all citizens will have equitable distribution of energy through solar power and solar-powered satellites; a world where all citizens even in the remotest parts will have electronic connectivity and knowledge connectivity through constellation of communication satellites; a world where all citizens will have safe drinking water by the technologies of seawater desalination using solar power.

It would be a clean planet earth through the use of solar energy from solar power satellite and from Moon through helium-3. The planet will have a clean industrial complex on moon and an alternate habitat at Mars.