31.08.2023
India's Chandrayaan-3 moon rover reveals surprising sulfur find in lunar south pole soil
Scientists have spotted an intriguing element near the moon's south pole.
Tracks left on the lunar surface by the Pragayn rover. (Image credit: ISRO)
India's Chandrayaan-3 Vikram lander became the first craft to ever touch down at the lunar south pole on Aug. 23 — and the probe has wasted very little time scientifically exploring an environment that no mission from any country has ever visited.
Now, one instrument aboard the Chandrayaan-3 mission's moon rover Pragyan has found surprising traces of sulfur within the lunar south pole's soil.
Called Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and created by the Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems in Bangalore, that instrument probes the lunar surface by quite literally obliterating it. To observe a substance, LIBS fires laser pulses at a sample, which then vaporizes the substance into a brief plasma. The instrument picks up light emitted from that plasma and analyzes the wavelengths to discern what elements lie within.
The first in-situ close-range LIBS emission spectrum of the lunar surface. (Image credit: ISRO)
When LIBS turned its laser onto the lunar south pole's soil, the instrument found the expected mélange of aluminum, calcium, chromium, iron, manganese, oxygen, titanium and silicon — but with an added dash of sulfur. Orbiting probes crossing over the moon's south pole had never previously detected sulfur, nor did they have the feasibility to do so, according to a statement by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
Chandrayaan-3 is leading the way for future missions, such as Artemis 3, to land at the lunar south pole. This region on the moon is an attractive place for humans to build a lasting presence due to the fact that water ice is located underfoot. Future moon-dwellers can potentially tap into that water for consumption, or even to create rocket propellant, instead of depending on water shipped from Earth.
Having a more complete chemical composition of the lunar south pole area means future travelers to — and possible inhabitants of — the region can also plan for what else they don’t need to bring from Earth. In particular, some scientists have suggested moon-dwellers could use sulfur in bits of infrastructure such as building materials, solar cells and batteries.
During the brief few days that Vikram and Pragyan have been on the moon, the mission has kept both the machines and their operators busy. For instance, over the weekend, the mission took the first-ever temperature measurements of the lunar south pole region's soil.
As for LIBS itself, ISRO says scientists are now using the instrument to search for another key element: Hydrogen.
Quelle: SC
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Say Cheese! Pragyan Rover shares first photos of Vikram Lander toiling on Moon surface
ISRO just shared the first set of photos that were taken by the Pragyan Rover. The photos are that of the Vikram Lander, which is seen being hard at work, thanks to its CHaSTE and ILSA module
ISRO just shared the first set of photos that were taken by the Pragyan Rover. The photos are that of the Vikram Lander, which is seen being hard at work, thanks to its CHaSTE and ILSA module
The Pragyan rover just snapped a picture of the Vikram lander hard at work on the Moon’s surface. This pic is like the superstar of the mission pics, and it was captured by the rover’s Navigation Camera, aka NavCam.
The NavCams are one of the most vital components on board the rover and will lead it during the whole mission. They were developed by the smart folks at the Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems (LEOS) in Bengaluru. These cameras are the real MVPs.
Think of these cameras as the rover’s trusty ‘eyes,’ guiding it through all the bumpy and tricky lunar landscapes. They’re like the rover’s GPS, helping it figure out where to go and what to avoid so it can cruise safely on the Moon.
ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 has been making some significant strides since it nailed a soft landing on the Moon’s surface on August 23, 2023. With that, India joined an elite club of just four countries that have pulled off this sort of lunar landing. What makes India’s landing even more special, is that it did it at the lunar south pole, a territory that was unexplored up until now.
Ever since the soft landing, the Pragyan rover and the Vikram lander, have been hard at work. The rover is like a space detective with its payloads, which include the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) and the Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS). These gizmos help it figure out what the Moon is made of by analyzing its dirt and rocks.
It has already made some significant discoveries on the surface of the moon. For example, it has discovered traces of sulphur on the lunar surface. Along with sulphur, the rover has also found traces of aluminium, titanium, oxygen, silicon, magnesium and several other minerals, which will be crucial for the development of human colonies on the Moon.
The photo of the Vikram lander taken by the Pragyan rover isn’t just a simple social media post. This pic shows how the rover and lander, are working together. The rover is collecting and analysing certain aspects of the moon on its own and is relaying all of that to the lander. The Vikram lander, for its part, is carrying out its own data collection and experiments and then relaying everything it is learning to ISRO’s ground stations.
As the rover and the lander continue with their mission, we’re bound to get more pics and data that’ll help us with our understanding of the Moon.
Quelle: Firstpost
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Chandrayaan-3: What has India's Moon rover Pragyaan been up to since landing?
A photo of the Vikram lander taken by Pragyaan rover on Wednesday morning
Exactly a week ago, India set down a robotic probe on the Moon, becoming the first country to land near the lunar south pole.
Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander - carrying a rover in its belly - touched down on the lunar soil after a 20-minute, nail-biting finale watched by millions of people across the world.
Hours later, the Pragyaan rover - Pragyaan is the Sanskrit word for wisdom - exited the lander and took its first steps on the Moon.
The Indian space agency has been providing regular updates on the rover's findings, the photos its taking, distance it is covering and how it is negotiating the obstacles in its path.
Here's a look at the highlights from the first week of the rover's Moonwalk:
Say cheese
Until now, we had only seen videos and images of the rover, taken by the lander.
But on Wednesday morning, Pragyaan turned its camera on its parent - the Vikram lander - and said, "Smile, please!"
The black-and-white image shows Vikram with all its six legs firmly planted on the lunar ground.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) said this "image of the mission" was taken by the navigation camera onboard the rover.
Sulphur finds
Over the past few days, the rover has been hard at work.
On Tuesday evening, Isro said that a laser detector onboard had made "the first-ever in-situ - in the original space - measurements on the elemental composition of the surface near the south pole" and found a host of chemicals, including sulphur and oxygen, on lunar soil.
The instrument "unambiguously confirms" the presence of sulphur, it said, adding that preliminary analysis also "unveiled the presence of aluminium, calcium, iron, chromium, titanium, manganese, silicon and oxygen".
Noah Petro, a project scientist at Nasa, told the BBC's Soutik Biswas that it's been known from the 1970s - from the Apollo and Luna samples - that sulphur is present in the lunar soil.
But he described Pragyaan's findings as "a tremendous accomplishment".
"I think Isro is highlighting that it's in-situ - so it's important to have measured sulphur on the lunar surface. Sulphur is a volatile element if it's not inside a mineral. So, if it's not part of a crystal, it's very cool to see it measured on the surface," he added.
Negotiating craters
As the rover roams around the mission's landing point - now named the Shiv Shakti Point - in what Isro has described as "the pursuit of lunar secrets", it has covered quite a distance. It has also had to change course to stay safe because of deep craters.
Two days after the landing, Isro said Pragyaan - which travels at a speed of 1cm per second - had "successfully traversed a distance of 8 metres (26ft)".
It added that on Sunday, the rover had encountered a crater with a diameter of four metres. But it was spotted well on time - when Pragyaan was about three metres away.
"It was commanded to retrace the path. It's now safely heading on a new path," Isro added.
Photos released by the space agency show the crater and the footprints of the rover on the lunar soil - going forward and returning.
Taking the Moon's temperature
On Sunday, Isro said that they had received the first set of data about the temperatures on the lunar topsoil and up to the depth of 10cm below the surface from a probe onboard Vikram lander.
The probe - called the ChaSTE experiment, or Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment - is fitted with 10 individual temperature sensors and has thrown up some interesting results.
A graphic posted on X (formerly Twitter) by Isro showed a sharp difference in temperatures just above and below the surface.
While the temperature on the surface was nearly 60C, it plummeted sharply below the surface, dropping to -10C at 80mm (just about 3 inches) below the ground.
An Isro scientist told the news agency PTI that he was "surprised" by the temperature fluctuation. "We all believed that the temperature could be somewhere around 20C to 30C on the surface but it is surprisingly higher than what we had expected," BH Darukesha said.
The Moon, however, is known for harbouring extreme temperatures - according to Nasa, daytime temperatures near the lunar equator reach a boiling 250F (120C), while night temperatures can plunge to -208F (-130C).
The Moon's poles, it says, are even colder - one crater near the north pole recorded -410F (-250C) which makes it the coldest temperature measured anywhere in the entire solar system. Equally cold temperatures have been recorded at some of the craters which remain permanently in the shadows in the south pole
"A thorough investigation regarding the presence of hydrogen is underway," it added.
Quelle: BBC
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ISRO Chandrayaan-3 Moon Mission
Quelle: ISRO
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Update: 4.09.2023
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India's moon rover completes its walk. Scientists analyzing data looking for signs of frozen water
India’s space mission says the moon rover has completed its walk on the lunar surface and been put into sleep mode less than two weeks after its historic landing near the lunar south pole
This image provided by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) shows Vikram lander as seen by the navigation camera on Pragyan Rover on Aug. 30, 2023. India’s moon rover has confirmed the presence of sulfur and detected several other elements on the surface near the lunar south pole a week after the country’s historic moon landing. ISRO says the rover’s laser-induced spectroscope instrument also has detected aluminum, iron, calcium, chromium, titanium, manganese, oxygen and silicon. (Indian Space Research Organisation via AP)
NEW DELHI -- India’s moon rover has completed its walk on the lunar surface and been put into sleep mode less than two weeks after its historic landing near the lunar south pole, India’s space mission said.
“The rover completes its assignments. It is now safely parked and set into sleep mode," with daylight on that part of the moon coming to an end, the Indian Space Research Organization said in a statement late Saturday.
The rover's payloads are turned off and the data it collected has been transmitted to the Earth via the lander, the statement said.
The Chandrayaan-3 lander and rover were expected to operate only for one lunar day, which is equal to 14 days on Earth.
"Currently, the battery is fully charged. The solar panel is oriented to receive the light at the next sunrise expected on September 22, 2023. The receiver is kept on. Hoping for a successful awakening for another set of assignments!” the statement said.
There was no word on the outcome of the rover searches for signs of frozen water on the lunar surface that could help future astronaut missions, as a potential source of drinking water or to make rocket fuel.
Last week, the space agency said the moon rover confirmed the presence of sulfur and detected several other elements. The rover’s laser-induced spectroscope instrument also detected aluminum, iron, calcium, chromium, titanium, manganese, oxygen and silicon on the surface, it said.
The Indian Express newspaper said the electronics on board the Indian moon mission weren't designed to withstand very low temperatures, less than -120 C (-184 F) during the nighttime on the moon. The lunar night also extends for as long as 14 days on Earth.
Pallava Bagla, a science writer and co-author of books on India’s space exploration, said the rover has limited battery power.
The data is back on Earth and will be analyzed by Indian scientists as a first look and then by the global community, he said.
By sunrise on the moon, the rover may or may not wake up because the electronics die at such cold temperatures, Bagla said.
“Making electronic circuits and components that can survive the deep cold temperature of the moon, that technology doesn’t exist in India,” he said.
After a failed attempt to land on the moon in 2019, India last week joined the United States, the Soviet Union and China as only the fourth country to achieve this milestone.
The successful mission showcases India’s rising standing as a technology and space powerhouse and dovetails with Prime Minister Narendra Modi desire to project an image of an ascendant country asserting its place among the global elite.
The mission began more than a month ago at an estimated cost of $75 million.
India’s success came just days after Russia’s Luna-25, which was aiming for the same lunar region, spun into an uncontrolled orbit and crashed. It had been intended to be the first successful Russian lunar landing after a gap of 47 years.
Russia’s head of the state-controlled space corporation Roscosmos attributed the failure to the lack of expertise because of the long break in lunar research that followed the last Soviet mission to the moon in 1976.
Active since the 1960s, India has launched satellites for itself and other countries, and successfully put one in orbit around Mars in 2014. India is planning its first mission to the International Space Station next year, in collaboration with the United States.
Quelle: abcNews
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KICKSTART“ GEGLÜCKT
Indiens Lander am Mond startete und landete wieder
Vor knapp zwei Wochen ist Indien die sanfte Landung einer Sonde auf dem Mond gelungen. Nun hat die ISRO, die Weltraumbehörde des Landes, erneut einen Erfolg vermeldet. Der Lander „Vikram“ sei im Zuge eines „Kickstart“-Experiments kurz gestartet und wieder sicher gelandet, heißt es.
„Vikram“ habe erfolgreich ein „Hüpf-Experiment“ absolviert, berichtete die ISRO am Montagvormittag via X (vormals Twitter. Der Lander habe „auf Befehl seine Treibwerke gezündet“ und sei, wie geplant, rund 40 Zentimeter von der Mondoberfläche abgehoben und 30 bis 40 Zentimeter von seinem ursprünglichen Landeplatz wieder sicher aufgesetzt. Alle Systeme würden „nominell und fehlerfrei“ funktionieren, hieß es in dem Statement (siehe unten).
Rover derzeit im Schlafmodus
Der an Bord von „Vikram“ auf dem Mond gelandete Rover „Pragyan“, der auf die Stromversorgung seiner Solarpanels angewiesen ist, wurde laut ISRO-Angaben am Wochenende in den Schlafmodus versetzt. Man hoffe, dass er ab 22. September - wenn es wieder Sonnenlicht auf Südseite des Mondes gibt - weitere Daten zur Erde funken werde, hieß es.
„Der Rover hat seine Aufgaben abgeschlossen“, postete die ISRO am Samstag auf X. Die bisher mithilfe des Rovers gesammelten Daten würden über den Lander „Vikram“ zur Erde gefunkt, so die indische Weltraumbehörde. „Wir hoffen auf ein erfolgreiches Erwachen für eine weitere Reihe von Aufträgen!“, zeigte man sich zuversichtlich.
Mission erkundet Südseite des Mondes
Mit der unbemannten Mission„Chandrayaan-3“ will Indien die bis dato wenig untersuchte Südseite des Erdtrabanten erkunden. Im Fokus steht dabei unter anderem dort vorhandenes gefrorenes Wasser. Der Hintergrund: Eis könnte bei künftigen bemannten Mondmissionen von Nutzen sein.
Quelle: Kronen Zeitung
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Update: 6.09.2023
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Chandrayaan-3 rover and lander in sleep mode but might wake up later this month
The two vehicles have completed their primary mission goals.
India's Chandrayaan-3 lunar rover and lander have completed their primary mission goals and are now preparing for the upcoming two-week lunar night. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) hopes the two iconic vehicles might wake up when the sun rises again above the moon's south pole.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission, India's first successful attempt to land on the moonand the world's first successful landing in the southern lunar region, spent a little under two weeks exploring the promising area where deposits of frozen water might exist trapped inside permanently shadowed craters.
On Sunday, Sept. 2, ISRO announced that Chandrayaan-3's Pragyan rover had completed its assignments and had been "set into sleep mode" with its scientific instruments turned off.
"Currently, the battery is fully charged," ISRO said in a post on X, previously known as Twitter. "The solar panel is oriented to receive the light at the next sunrise expected on September 22, 2023. The receiver is kept on."
The Vikram lander, which delivered Pragyan to the lunar surface and conducted its own scientific campaign, followed suit on Monday, Sept. 4.
"Vikram will fall asleep next to Pragyan once the solar power is depleted and the battery is drained. Hoping for their awakening, around September 22, 2023," ISRO said in a post on X on Monday, Sept. 4.
Just before it went to sleep, the lander performed a short "hop," briefly firing its thrusters to move by about 16 inches (40 centimeters), closer to the already sleeping Pragyan rover. This hop may be seen as a test for a future sample return mission that would need to launch from the moon's surface
Chandrayaan-3 landed on the moon on Wednesday, Aug. 23. The Pragyan rover disembarked from the Vikram lander one day later and has since traversed over 330 feet (100 meters) of the lunar surface.
Since the mission began, ISRO scientists have received various measurements including chemical analysis of the moon's surface, a temperature profile of the top 4 inches (10 cm) of the surface regolith and measurements of the tenuous plasma above the moon's surface.
India previously attempted to land on the moon in 2019 with Chandrayaan-3's predecessor Chandrayaan-2. That mission's lander, however, crashed due to a software glitch. Landing on the moon is notoriously difficult. Only four countries — the U.S., USSR, China and India — have so far accomplished the feat. Only three days before the Chandrayaan-3 success, Russia's Luna-25 mission slammed into the moon's surface following a botched orbital maneuver. Earlier this year, the Hakuto-Rspacecraft operated by Japan-based company ispace hit a crater rim during its descent.
In the future, the NASA-led Artemis 3 mission intends to touchdown in the moon's southern polar region with the first humans to land on the moon since the last Apollo mission in 1972 on board. The deposits of water in the permanently shadowed craters make this area convenient for setting up a lunar base, as this water could be extracted and used for drinking as well as to make oxygen for the astronauts, which would considerably reduce the cost of maintaining the base.
Quelle: SD