Category Man and the Moon

          Chandrayaan 1 was definitely an encouragement for future endeavours in space studies. Chandrayaan 2 is it’s more technologically and scientifically advanced follow up.

          When Indian scientists conceived the idea of a second lunar mission, they wanted to demonstrate its ability to soft-land on the surface of the Moon and operate a lunar rover. They were also looking for an extensive mapping of the lunar surface to prepare detailed 3D maps. It also aimed at a broad study of the lunar South Pole with focus on the thickness of the lunar regolith, and evidences of water ice. The mission also planned to study the variations in the lunar surface composition.

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          We now know a lot about Chandrayaan 1. But when did the Indian scientists conceive the idea of a lunar mission? Let’s now dig up a little history.

          It all began in 1999 in a meeting at the Indian Academy of Sciences-that’s where they discussed the first Indian scientific mission to the Moon. This discussion was taken forward by the Astronautical Society of India (ASI). It was followed by the setting up of the National Lunar Mission Task Force by the ISRO in 2000. By 2003, over hundred eminent Indian scientists from different fields including Earth sciences, planetary sciences, physics, chemistry, astronomy, astrophysics, engineering, and communication sciences confirmed that our country was capable of conducting such a mission.

          Following this, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the then prime minister of India announced the Chandrayaan 1 project during his Independence Day speech the same year. Government approval for the same was gained three months later in November. From then on, hundreds of Indian scientists devoted their time and brains to make this dream a reality.

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          Chandrayaan 1 lifted Indian space research to a global platform. India exhibited its self-sufficiency in space technology through the Chandrayaan 1 project. India’s efforts certainly gained global recognition.

          The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) recognized ISRO’s contribution to space science and technology with the AIAA SPACE 2009 award.

          Chandrayaan 1 was bestowed with the International Co-operation Award in 2008 by the International Lunar Exploration Working Group. It was the recognition for accommodating the most number of international tests and lunar payloads. In 2009,    Chandrayaan 1 was also awarded the Space Pioneer Award by the US based National Space Society.

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          For decades, scientists have been searching for the evidences of the presence of water on the lunar surface. On its landing on the Moon, Chandrayaan 1 confirmed the presence of water on the Moon.

          The Moon Impact Probe on Chandrayaan 1 had discovered traces of water ice on the lunar surface. The Moon Mineralogy Mapper, another instrument in Chandrayaan 1’s payload detected absorption features on the lunar surface. This feature was more prominent in cooler high latitudes. The lunar scientists confirmed that the water on the Moon was scattered throughout its surface in sheets of ice and some water was locked up in minerals.

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         The Moon Impact Probe (MIP) is the first ever Indian made object to reach the surface of the Moon. It is famous for discovering the presence of water on the Moon. This probe is the result of the vision of our former president Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. He believed that India should not be left behind in the exploration of the Moon.

          The MIP was launched on 22 October, 2008 and weighed 34 kilograms at the time of its launch. It is box shaped and contained three instruments within- a C-band radar altimeter to measure the altitude of the probe, a mass spectrometer for measuring the constituents of the lunar atmosphere, and a video imaging system to take photographs of the lunar surface.

          The MIP separated from the orbiter on 14 November, 2008 and had a controlled landing on the lunar South Pole. The main objective of the MIP was to demonstrate the qualifying technology for any future soft landing.

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          Chandrayaan 1 serves as one of the best examples of the successful collaboration between various space research centres around the world. Six out of the eleven payloads were developed in association with the European Space Agency, NASA, and the space agencies of Bulgaria, Sweden and Germany. The other instruments were the result of the fruitful labour and technological expertise of Indian space scientists.

          All the payloads were used to learn more about the composition of the Moon. They performed activities like monitoring the radiations on the lunar surface, searching for water ice, and different types of mappings including chemical mapping, surface mapping and magnetic field mapping.

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          Payloads are the scientific instruments carried aboard in a spacecraft. Chandrayaan 1 went to the Moon carrying a total of eleven instruments- five Indian instruments and six foreign instruments that altogether weighed 90 kilograms.

          The Indian instruments included a Terrain Mapping Camera that captures black and white images to map the topography of the Moon, a Hyper Spectral Imager that would perform mineralogical mapping, and a Lunar Ranging Instrument that would help in determining the height of the surface topography. India also sent a High Energy aj/gamma x-ray spectrometer (HEX), and the Moon Impact Probe developed by the ISRO.

          The instruments from other countries included a Radiation Dose Monitor Experiment (RADOM 7), Moon Mineralogy Mapper, a near infrared spectrometer, X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, a Mini SAR, and the Sub-keV Atom Reflecting Analyzer.

          Though these names sound complicated, all of them were deployed to understand the Moon.

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          On 22, October, 2008, Indians woke up to news that made each one of them proud. India had successfully launched its first mission to the Moon, Chandrayaan 1. This lunar probe was launched by the ISRO from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota with the help of a PSLV C-11 rocket.

          Chandrayaan 1 was an unmanned lunar exploration that included a lunar orbiter and a Moon Impact Probe. It entered the lunar orbit on 8 November 2008. On 14 November, 2008, the Moon Impact Probe separated successfully from the Chandrayaan orbiter and landed on the lunar South Pole. The location of its impact is known as Jawahar Point.

          Though Chandrayaan 1 was intended to survey the surface of the Moon for two years, the ground control lost contact with the probe ten months after its launch. It also had some technical issues like poor thermal shielding and the failure of the star tracker.

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          Like many other countries, India too wanted to send people to the Moon. When Indian scientists worked out the plan for a mission to the Moon, they wanted to design, develop and launch a spacecraft to the Moon using a launch vehicle made in India. This would upgrade India’s technological expertise, provide ample experience of space technology and prepare India for future planetary explorations.

          Chandrayaan 1 aimed at mapping the Moon in terms of minerals, elements and topography that would help in the preparation of a three dimensional atlas of the Moon. It also includes the search for the presence of water and ice on the Moon. Though the contact with the lunar probe was lost after ten months of its launch, Chandrayaan 1 was a grand success; it completed almost all of the major objectives of the mission.

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          India is a major force in space research. In 1975, India launched its first satellite named Aryabhatta. A few years later, our country sent two remote sensing satellites into orbit- Bhaskara I and II in 1979 and 1981 respectively. These satellites were launched to observe the Earth.

          In 1979, India launched a series of satellites named Rohini. Rohini helped our scientists to understand the technology behind the functioning of larger rockets better. Later, India developed its first satellite launch vehicle- SLV 3. On July 18, 1980, SLV 3 made its first launch- the launch of satellite Rohini that weighed 40 kilograms. After SLV 3, India successfully developed PSLV and GSLV.

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