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Why does the Moon’s South Pole fascinate scientists? What makes the Moon’s South Pole so important for the Chandrayaan-3 mission?
Chandrayaan-3 is India’s third lunar mission and the first attempt to land a spacecraft on the Moon’s South Pole. The mission was launched on July 14, 2023, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India. Over 40 days after the launch, the Chandrayaan-3 gently landed on the Moon around 6:04 pm on August 23, 2023.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:’India🇮🇳,I reached my destinationand you too!’: Chandrayaan-3
Chandrayaan-3 has successfullysoft-landed on the moon 🌖!.
Congratulations, India🇮🇳!#Chandrayaan_3#Ch3
— ISRO (@isro)
August 23, 2023
In a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2, the Chandaryaan-3 mission demonstrated a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface. It will now carry out in-situ scientific experiments on the Moon.
The historic landing of ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the Moon makes India the fourth nation to ever soft land on the lunar surface. The landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon’s South Pole is a significant achievement for India’s space program. Previously, only the US, China, and the former Soviet Union have accomplished this feat.
Chandrayaan-3 images of the Moon, Image: ISRO
In this article, we will study why is it important to land on the South Pole of the Moon. But first, let us know a bit about Chandrayaan-3 and the quest for water on the Moon.
What is Chandryaan-3?
Fully stacked Chandrayaan-3 (Image: ISRO)
The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft consists of three modules: an orbiter, a lander, and a rover. The orbiter will study the moon’s surface and atmosphere, while the lander will attempt to land on the South Pole to measure the thermal conductivity and temperature, seismic activities, and plasma density. The rover will then explore the lunar surface and study elemental composition in the vicinity of the landing site.
Moon images by Chandrayaan-3, Image: ISRO
ISRO’s Chandrayaan-2 mission was India’s second lunar mission. However, the spacecraft’s lander ‘Vikram’ crashed during its final descent to the surface. Despite the lander crash, the Chandrayaan-2 mission orbiter continued to study the moon for over a year, and it provided valuable scientific data.
But did you know, that Chandrayaan-1 was India’s first lunar mission that detected the presence of water on the Moon?
Also read: Chandrayaan 3: What are the Roles of Lander Vikram and Rover Pragyan?
There is water on the Moon? Yes!
The quest for water on the Moon began in 2008 when Chandrayaan-1 suggested the existence of water. Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) aboard Chandrayaan-1 made one of its biggest discoveries in the water quest on the Moon. As published on the official site of ISRO, the data confirmed the presence of Hydroxyl & water molecules on the lunar surface and water-ice deposits in the base of the craters.
Since the previous missions have suggested the highest potential for water in the polar regions, Chandryaan-3 will be the first to explore the Moon’s South Pole to gather more insights into lunar water. Let us understand the ‘why’ behind it.
Presence of water on the Moon, Image: NASA
Why is it important to land on the South Pole of the Moon?
Water ice has been detected on both poles of the Moon through a number of spacecraft over the past few decades. However, space agencies and aerospace experts suggest that the lunar South Pole has been in permanent shadow (sunlight never reaching the surface) and colder temperatures as low as -230 degrees Celsius hence it is thought to have more water ice.
The presence of water ice on the permanently shadowed regions of the Moon’s South Pole has been detected by several missions to the Moon such as the Clementine mission in 1994. Subsequent missions, such as the Lunar Prospector mission, Chandryaan-1 mission and the LCROSS mission.
Water ice is a valuable resource for future human exploration of the Moon, as it could be used for drinking water, fuel, and oxygen.
The South Pole of the Moon is also home to a number of unique geological features, such as the South Pole-Aitken basin, the largest impact basin in the solar system. Scientists could study the lunar surface, atmosphere, and subsurface in this region to learn more about the Moon’s history, geology, and potential resources.
The South Pole of the Moon is a potential site for a lunar outpost. A lunar outpost would allow scientists to conduct long-term research on the Moon and would also provide a staging ground for future human missions to the Moon and beyond.
Where can I watch the Chandrayaan-3 landing?
You can watch the ISRO live streaming of Chandrayaan-3 landing here. Below, we have provided ISRO’s YouTube live stream that will bring you live telecast.
Chandrayaan 3 Moon Landing LIVE Updates, Current Status and Latest News
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Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: newstars.edu.vn