Chandrayaan-I to help generate comprehensive moon maps

Sriharikota, Oct 22 (PTI) Scientists world over have detailed maps of Mars but not of the moon. Chandrayaan-I, India's maiden moon mission, is carrying 11 instruments which will help prepare comprehensive maps of the earth's only natural satellite -- the moon.

The maps could be of immense help when Indian Space
Research Organisation (I.S.R.O.) and other space agencies plan
to land spacecraft on the lunar surface or plan to use the
moon as a base for future interplanetary missions.

Chandrayaan-I is carrying an Indian flag which will be
placed on the lunar surface when the Moon Impactor Probe
(M.I.P.) lands on the moon during the course of the two-year
mission.

Of the 11 instruments carried by the satellite, five are
Indian, three are from the European Space Agency, two from the
US -- including a radar that can search for ice under lunar
poles -- and one from Bulgaria.

Among I.S.R.O.'s five experiments is the Moon Impact
Probe which will detach from the spacecraft once it begins
orbiting the moon and crash onto the lunar surface.

The M.I.P. may not survive the fall but will demonstrate
technologies for a future soft-landing mission. During its
crash on the lunar surface, the M.I.P. will send high
resolution images of the moon and also analyse its terrain.

Indian scientists have equipped Chandrayaan-I with a
Terrain Mapping stereo Camera (T.M.C.) which will map the
topography in both near and far side of the Moon.

The data will help prepare a 3-dimensional atlas with high
spatial and altitude resolution which will help understand the
evolution process and also allow detailed study of regions of
scientific interests.

Besides the 3-D mapping, another I.S.R.O. payload Hyper
Spectral Imaging camera (HySI) will gather spectroscopic data
for mineralogical mapping of the lunar surface.

The data from this instrument will help in improving the
available information on mineral composition of the lunar
surface.

The study of data in deep crater regions/central peaks,
which represents lower crust or upper mantle material, will
help in understanding the mineralogical composition of Moon's
interior.

The Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument (L.L.R.I.) developed
by I.S.R.O. will help in determining the accurate altitude of
the spacecraft above the lunar surface, determine the global
topographical field of the Moon.

It will also help obtain an improved model for the lunar
gravity field and supplement the data from terrain mapping
camera and hyper-spectral imager payloads.

Such information is fundamental to our understanding of
planetary thermal history.

Developed indigenously, the High Energy X-ray
spectrometer (H.E.X.) will carry out first ever experiments on
the lunar surface that will help scientists find out whether
water ever existed in the polar regions of the moon.

Among the international experiments, the Chandrayaan-1
X-ray Spectrometer (C1XS) of the European Space Agency
(E.S.A.) will carry out high quality X-ray spectroscopic
mapping of the Moon, to find answers to key questions on the
origin and evolution of the Moon.

C1XS is realised through E.S.A. with collaboration
between Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, U.K. and I.S.R.O.
Satellite Centre, I.S.R.O.

Near Infra Red spectrometer (SIR-2), developed by the Max
Planck Institute of Germany, will survey mineral lunar
resources for future landing sites and exploration.

It will also help determine the chemical composition of
the planet's crust and mantle.

The Sub KeV Atom Reflecting Analyser (S.A.R.A.), a joint
experiment of E.S.A. and I.S.R.O., will image the Moon's
surface composition including the permanently shadowed areas
and volatile rich areas.

The Radiation Dose Monitor Experiment (RADOM) of the
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences will help evaluate the radiation
environment and radiation shielding requirements for future
manned Moon missions.

Radiation exposure of crew members on future manned space
flight has been recognised as an important factor in the
planning and design of such missions.

The general purpose of the present proposition is to
study the radiation hazards during the Moon exploration
through the Chandrayaan-1 mission.

The Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar (MiniSAR) of
N.A.S.A. will look for water ice in the permanently shadowed
regions on the lunar poles up to a depth of a few meters.

Mini-SAR is a onboard radar mapper that will allow
viewing of all permanently shadowed areas on the Moon,
regardless of whether sunlight is available or the angle is
not satisfactory.

The Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3), another N.A.S.A.
experiment will map lunar surface mineralogy in the context of
lunar geologic evolution.

The primary exploration goal is to assess and map lunar
mineral resources at high spatial resolution to support
planning for future, targeted missions. PTI