ID :
43019
Thu, 01/29/2009 - 14:44
Auther :
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http://m.oananews.org//node/43019
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Moon Impactor Probe silenced skeptical scientists
New Delhi, Jan 28 (PTI) Indian scientists were a divided
lot over sending onboard Chandrayaan-I the Moon Impactor Probe
which later produced excellent pictures of the earth's natural
satellite.
The Moon Impactor Probe (MIP), which crashed onto the
lunar surface on November 14, was included as one of the 11
payloads of Chandrayaan-I at the suggestion of the then
President A P J Abdul Kalam.
However, some scientists were doubtful about including
the 28-kg MIP as a part of the payload and favoured carrying
some other experiments, said senior scientist Narendra
Bhandari, who has been involved with Chandrayaan-I since its
inception.
On the one hand there was one experiment that "would
weigh 28 kg and crash on the lunar surface and on the other
hand, we had 10 experiments with a total weight of 50 kg," he
said.
Any given day, scientists would have preferred carrying
more diverse experiments instead of one weighing 28 kg,
Bhandari said.
But the breathtaking pictures beamed back on earth by MIP
as it plunged towards the moon gladdened scientists. Never
before had they seen pictures of the moon clicked from an
altitude of six kms.
The MIP, which landed very close to the South Pole near
Shackleton crater, marked India's physical presence on the
lunar surface.
Bhandari was speaking to reporters after his book 'The
Mysterious Moon & India's Chandrayaan Mission' was released by
Thirumalachari Ramasami, Secretary, Department of Science and
Technology here last evening.
The Terrain Mapping Camera on board the MIP was switched
on and the Deep Space Network on the outskirts of Bangalore
received five metre resolution images of lunar surface.
Developed by Indian Space Research organisation's (ISRO)
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre of Thiruvananthapuram, the
primary objective of MIP was to demonstrate the technologies
required for landing a probe at the desired location on the
moon.
Besides scientific exploration of the moon at close
distance, the probe will help qualify some of the technologies
related to future soft landing missions. PTI SKU
RKM
NNNN
lot over sending onboard Chandrayaan-I the Moon Impactor Probe
which later produced excellent pictures of the earth's natural
satellite.
The Moon Impactor Probe (MIP), which crashed onto the
lunar surface on November 14, was included as one of the 11
payloads of Chandrayaan-I at the suggestion of the then
President A P J Abdul Kalam.
However, some scientists were doubtful about including
the 28-kg MIP as a part of the payload and favoured carrying
some other experiments, said senior scientist Narendra
Bhandari, who has been involved with Chandrayaan-I since its
inception.
On the one hand there was one experiment that "would
weigh 28 kg and crash on the lunar surface and on the other
hand, we had 10 experiments with a total weight of 50 kg," he
said.
Any given day, scientists would have preferred carrying
more diverse experiments instead of one weighing 28 kg,
Bhandari said.
But the breathtaking pictures beamed back on earth by MIP
as it plunged towards the moon gladdened scientists. Never
before had they seen pictures of the moon clicked from an
altitude of six kms.
The MIP, which landed very close to the South Pole near
Shackleton crater, marked India's physical presence on the
lunar surface.
Bhandari was speaking to reporters after his book 'The
Mysterious Moon & India's Chandrayaan Mission' was released by
Thirumalachari Ramasami, Secretary, Department of Science and
Technology here last evening.
The Terrain Mapping Camera on board the MIP was switched
on and the Deep Space Network on the outskirts of Bangalore
received five metre resolution images of lunar surface.
Developed by Indian Space Research organisation's (ISRO)
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre of Thiruvananthapuram, the
primary objective of MIP was to demonstrate the technologies
required for landing a probe at the desired location on the
moon.
Besides scientific exploration of the moon at close
distance, the probe will help qualify some of the technologies
related to future soft landing missions. PTI SKU
RKM
NNNN
