CHANDRAYAAN-I

On Friday the 14th November 2008, India become the fourth country in the world to place its flag on the moon. Finally Chandrayaan-I fulfilled its designated task, landing the MIP (moon impact probe) with the tricolor painted on bothside.

As per the Indian Space Research Organisation's Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRACK) in Bangaluru (south India), to their commands response, the spacecraft released the MIP at 8.31pm (IST). The MIP crash landed on the moon's surface safely and the ISTRACK received it's first signal from the MIP>

ISRO officials said that it was a perfect operation. Within 25 minutes of the command issued from ISTRACK, Chandrayaan detached the 29kg MIP.

The Space Craft with 10 other payloads on-board was launched from Sriharikottah near Chennai on 22nd October by a polar satellite launching vehicle. It entered the lunar orbit last Saturday, this is the first ever Indian spacecraft to enter deep space.

The mother vehicle Chandrayaan-1 is orbiting the moon at an altitude of 100km. The spacecraft has a life period of 730 days (2 years).

The MIP consists of a C band radar, altimeter for continues measurement of the altitude of the probe above lunar surface and to qualify technologies for future landing mission. A video imaging system for acquiring images of the surface of the moon from the descending probe and a mass Spectrometer for measuring the constituents of extremely thin lunar atmosphere during its 20 minute descent to the lunar surface.

Dr.G Madhavan Nair, Chairman, ISRO and former President of India Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, himself a space scientist, joined his former colleagues in ISRO to celebrate India's emergence as a space power.

Dr. RR Navalgund, Director, Space application Centre, Ahamadabad told that it was a proud moment for the country. Yes it is a proud moment for every Indian citizen.

As per the ISRO scientists: The MIP entered its trajectory gracefully and spun like dancer before hitting the lunar surface with pin-point accuracy and it did a nation proud. It has also enabled India to join the elite club of scientifically advanced countries such as the US, Russia, Japan, China and the European Space Agency which have left the signature on the moon.

The Chandrayaan-I mission was an indigenous effort. Chandrayaan is technically and scientifically much ahead of the moon missions of other countries such as China and Japan.

Chandrayaan is now ready to conduct a serious and intensive study of the moon. For instance it will be trying to study the mineralogy of the moon and also be looking for precious Helium-3 beneath the craters. These discoveries could be of great value not just for India but for the humanity.

Congratulations ISRO.!!!

From Bangaluru, ISTRACK scientists turned on the Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument (LLRI) on board the space craft. This LLRI mission has to prepare to topography map of the moon within next 18 months.

LLRI will send pulses of infrared laser light towards a strip of lunar surface and detect the reflected portion of that light. The round trip travel time of the laser pulse will provide measurement about the height and elevation of the lunar surface.

It will also find out the gravity variation on the lunar surface. It will make 10 measurements per second on the day and night sides of the moon.

LLRI will scan the entire moon surface in the coming days.

 Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) on board the Chandrayaan has identified Iron-bearing minerals like pyroxene on the lunar surface.  In instrument has also revealed for the first time changes in rock and mineral compositions.  The compositional maps will provide us a high resolution assessment of lunar resources.

Chandrayaan-1 has 10 scientific instruments on-board which conduct various research mission ranging from deduction of water and availability of helium-3 on the lunar surface.  Scientists have not yet found evidence of water on moon but the discovery of iron now has upped their hopes.