India's Moon Exploration Program

[Chinmoy]

Moon Beer? Brewing Experiment Short-Listed for Indian Lunar Lander

Nice thing, life'll become boring without bear on Moon.:biggrin2:

Serious note,
Yielding life on Moon, performing fermentation and champagne for Vyomanauts (Indian abbreviation for crews what Americans, Russians and Chinese call Astro, Cosmo and Taikonauts).
@Chinmoy @ezsasa

Good to see that they are starting from basic single cell organism, instead of going for more complex farming sort. Such an experiment is a positive step as far as I believe.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

India, Japan in final group for Google moon shot competition

 

[Indx TechStyle]

ISRO Rover on Lunar Surface

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to deploy a rover on the lunar surface in the Chandrayaan-2 mission.
The Chandrayaan-2, India’s second mission to the Moon, is a totally indigenous mission comprising of an Orbiter, Lander and Rover. After reaching the 100 km lunar orbit, the Lander housing the Rover will separate from the Orbiter. After a controlled descent, the Lander will soft land on the lunar surface at a specified site and deploy a Rover.
The six-wheeled Rover will move around the landing site in semi-autonomous mode as decided by the ground commands. The instruments on the rover will observe the lunar surface and send back data, which will be useful for analysis of the lunar soil. Collection of soil and rock sediments is not planned in this mission.
ISRO is working towards the launch of Chandrayaan-2 during the first quarter of 2018.
This information was provided by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
*****
KSD/NK/PK/KM
(Release ID :158271)

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Chandrayaan II to Test Object Landing on Moon: ISRO Chief

ISRO is planning to land a robot landrover on the Moon in a controlled manner, revealed the space agency Chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar in his inteaction with students on Sunday.

“We are planning Chandrayaan II, which will include a lander. Chandrayaan II will have an object that will descend on the surface of the moon in a controlled manner,” he told enthusiastic students after inaugurating the Mega Science fair at Petit Seminaire Higher Secondary School in Puducherry.

ISRO has demonstrated the utmost or maximum use of its capabilities and technology so far that no critics dared to raise any questions after the successful MoM Mangalyaan mission. With the whole world applauding the cost-effective and first-time-but-successful mission to Mars, critics have been silenced for ever.

The hallmark of the Indian Space Research Organisation is to make use of whatever capability or technology that is accessible, said Dr. Kumar, listing ISRO’s achievements so far. ISRO has evolved with this kind of approach since the beginning and the focus has always been on a fully indigenous capability, including developing its own launch vehicles and satellites — and all of them ataffordable cost for both India and other countries, he noted.

ISRO has so far launched about 79 satellites for 21 countries in the world and its next mega-launch will witness 103 satellites to be launched this month, breaking the Russian record of 37 satellites launched in June 2014. Hundred of these satellites are foreign and three are Indian.

Giving an insight into ISRO accomplishments, Dr Kumar said 38 satellites are in operation and they are indigenously built and launched by an indegenous launch vehicle. The weather satellites have sent information about cyclones and details about 12 crops so far, he said. Fishermen can get information on availability of fish in advance now, he explained.

“We were able to show the world that it is possible to do inter-planetary mission or planetary mission at a very low cost,” he said. On chandrayaan I mission, which received maximum criticism for spending money on space research during its launch, was useful in providing unique details that were not deciphered in the past by other countries’ mission. The credit for discovering water molecules and the process involved was credited to Chandrayaan I, he said.

To be launched in 2018 by a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV Mk II), Chandrayaan II will include a lunar orbiter, lander and rover, all developed by ISRO. Similar to NASA’s Curiosity Mars Landrover, it will move on the lunar surface and pick up soil or rock samples for on-site chemical analysis, which will be sent to Earth through the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter that is part of the mission.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Tests for Moon Landing of Chandrayaan-2

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has started a series of ground tests for testing the performance of sensors and actuators for soft landing of the Lander on the lunar surface.

Special tests for new systems in Lander have been identified and a Lander Sensors Performance Test over artificial craters created in Chitradurga district in Karnataka, has been conducted. Lunar Terrain Test facility is ready for Lander drop test and Rover mobility tests.

ISRO is working towards the launch of Chandrayaan-2 during the first quarter of 2018. The Chandrayaan-2 comprises of indigenous Orbiter, Lander and Rover. After reaching the 100 km lunar orbit, the Lander housing the Rover will separate from the Orbiter. After a controlled descent, the Lander will soft land on the lunar surface at a specified site and deploy a Rover. The instruments on the rover will collect data for analysis of the lunar soil.

This information was provided by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

ISRO gearing up forsecond moon mission
Lunar lander ready to be tested

Flush with the success of the PSLV- C37 mission which set a world record by placing 104 satellites in orbit, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is turning its attention to India’s second lunar mission, Chandrayaan- 2, scheduled for 2018.

The static test of the lander module of Chandrayaan- 2 will be held at the ISRO Propulsion Complex, Mahendragiri, by the end of February.

Director, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), S. Somanath, told The Hindu that the test would measure the performance of the propulsion system of the lander module.

The Chandrayaan-2 craft consists of an orbiter, lander and rover to be launched as a composite stack into the earth parking orbit by a GSLV Mark 2 rocket. The orbiter later carries the combined stack upto the lunar orbit where the lander separates to make a soft landing on the moon’s surface and deploy the rover.

In contrast, the Chandrayaan-1 mission comprised only an orbiter and moon impact probe.

Challenges in soft landing

Mr.Somanath said the soft landing involved in the Chandrayaan- 2 mission required special propulsion and control systems and complex electronics. The lander would have four engines to make a controlled descent from the orbiter.

For the static test, the craft would be mounted on a frame and the four engines fired at varying thrust.

A month later, another lander module, a replica of the first one, would be tested in a suspended state. The craft would be hung from a crane and the engines fired to move the module in different directions and simulate a soft landing.

According to the ISRO website, the scientific payloads on board the orbiter, lander and rover of the Chandrayaan- 2 mission are expected to perform mineralogical and elemental studies of the lunar surface.

In 2010, it was agreed that the Russian space agency Roscosmos would develop the lunar lander while the ISRO would be responsible for the orbiter and rover as well as the launch by GSLV.

But with Roscosmos seeking more time to fulfil its commitment, ISRO took up the development of the lunar lander, turning Chandryaan-2 into a totally indigenous project.

Cryogenic engine

Meanwhile, the stage is set for the second ground test of the cryogenic upper stage of GSLV Mark 3, India's heaviest launch vehicle, at Mahendragiri on Friday. Designed and developed by the LPSC, the C- 25 engine which uses liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen for propulsion will be fired for 640 seconds during the test.

In January this year, the cryogenic stage was successfully tested for a duration of 50 seconds.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

India can meet its energy requirements from Moon by 2030, says ISRO

Image for representational purpose only

New Delhi: A scientist associated with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Saturday said that India can meet all its energy requirements from the Moon by 2030.

Sivathanu Pillai, a distinguished professor at ISRO said,'India's all energy requirements can be met through Helium-3 mined from the Moon'.

While delivering the valedictory address at the three-day ORF-Kalpana Chawla Space Policy Dialogue, organised by Observer Research Foundation, the ISRO scientist said,'By 2030, this process target will be met'.

Pillai, a former chief of BrahMos Aerospace, said that mining lunar dust which is rich in Helium-3 is a priority programme for the ISRO.

According to an ORF release, Pillai said other countries are also working on the project and there is enough helium on the moon, which can meet the energy requirements of the world.

Pillai noted,"In a few decades, people will be going to the moon for honey-moon".

Lt. Gen. P.M. Bali, Director General, Perspective Planning, Indian Army, said the launch of GSAT-7, India's first dedicated military satellite, is a testimony to the country's outlook towards using the outer space for national security.

He added that India possesses one of the largest constellations of communication and remote sensing satellites covering Asia Pacific.

Lt. Gen. Bali said although India continues with a civilian orientation to its space programme, the changing regional and global realities require it to also develop military assets in space and on ground as an emerging regional and global power.

He said there is a need for a dedicated military space programme with adequate resources at its disposal because of "the changing realities in our neighbourhood".

 

[captscooby81]

Helium for Energy is okay but what the fuck is honeymoon aren't indian couples not happy romancing in this planet now they want to do it in moon , Should send them before to the studio which the american s used to shot the moon landing to practice for action sequences in the moon :hippo:

India can meet its energy requirements from Moon by 2030, says ISRO

Image for representational purpose only

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Helium for Energy is okay but what the fuck is honeymoon aren't indian couples not happy romancing in this planet now they want to do it in moon , Should send them before to the studio which the american s used to shot the moon landing to practice for action sequences in the moon :hippo:

Exactly!
विज्ञान कहता है भविष्य में हम चाँद पे घर बनाएँगे, हम कहते हैं करवा चौथ क्या धरती को देखके मनाएँगे?
:biggrin2::biggrin2:
Other amazing idea I heard about settling on Venus. Though, surface of Venus is too hot for us, certain section of it's atmosphere are akin to tropical regions of earth. There are plans for floating cities in very long term there.

 

[captscooby81]

Karva Chauth

But jokes apart . Does anyone know whats the Helium has to do with India s Energy requirement ??? is there a new way of making power generation using Helium Gas ???

Exactly!
विज्ञान कहता है भविष्य में हम चाँद पे घर बनाएँगे, हम कहते हैं करवा चौथ क्या धरती को देखके मनाएँगे?
:biggrin2::biggrin2:
Other amazing idea I heard about settling on Venus. Though, surface of Venus is too hot for us, certain section of it's atmosphere are akin to tropical regions of earth. There are plans for floating cities in very long term there.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Karva Chauth

But jokes apart . Does anyone know whats the Helium has to do with India s Energy requirement ??? is there a new way of making power generation using Helium Gas ???

Fusion based reactors, India is a part of project ITER comprising countries other than India as US, China, Russia, Japan & EU etc. to make such reactors.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

CHANDRAYAAN-2 Mission

The Chandrayaan-2 mission is the next step of ISRO to reach, land and explore the Moon. The Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft is a composite module consisting of Orbiter, Lander and Rover. Unlike Chandrayaan-1, where Moon Impact Probe (MIP) crash landed on the surface of the Moon, Chandrayaan-2 will soft land its Lander with Rover on the Lunar surface to conduct next level of scientific studies. Many new technologies are being developed indigenously to achieve the mission requirements. The Chandrayaan-2 is planned to be launched by GSLV MkII launch vehicle during first quarter of 2018.

Orbiter Craft

Primary structure of Orbiter Craft has been realised. Fabrication of panels is in progress. Configuration of mainframe systems and payloads was completed. Integration of mainframe systems including propulsion elements was expected to commence from December 2016. Payloads from various centres are in advanced stages of realisation and expected to be delivered in first quarter of 2017 for integration.

Lander Craft

Lander configuration is finalised to meet the soft and safe landing at the identified site. Payload configuration and interfaces with lander are finalised. Engineering models of mission critical sensors, namely, Ka-Band Radio Altimeter (KaRA) and Lander Pattern Detection Camera (LPDC) from SAC and Laser Inertial Reference & Accelerometer Package (LIRAP) from IISU have been realised and performance tested in Lander Sensor Performance Test (LSPT), Phase-1 over artificial craters created, at Chitradurga in Karnataka. System Demonstration Module (SDM) realisation for evaluating the performance of Lander propulsion system with throttlable engines, Lander Actuator Performance Test (LAPT) configuration and Lander electrical packages required for LAPT are in advanced stage of completion. Engineering model of Lander Leg was realised and single leg drop tests were completed. A facility has been established at Lunar Terrain Test Facility for conducting lander leg drop tests.

Rover

All the rover flight systems are in advanced stage of realisation. Soil mixing exercise is completed and the mobility test to evaluate the Rover’s wheel – soil interaction is under progress.

Rover undergoing tests at Lunar Terrain Test Facility

Source: ISRO's Annual Report 2016-17

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Chandrayaan-2 gets Russian technology to analyse lunar surface

ISRO officials (File Photo)​

CHENNAI: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will be launching the second lunar mission, Chandrayaan-2, in 2018. It will use Russian technology to ascertain the chemical composition of lunar rocks and soil.

The Russian firm, Joint Stock Company Isotope, which is part of the Russian Federation National Nuclear Corporation (ROSATOM) has supplied Radionuclide Curium (Cm-244) alpha emitter to the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad. It will help analyse lunar surface and rocks, according to ROSATOM South Asia spokesperson, Alexander Antipin.

He said the alpha emitter, manufactured by Russian State Scientific Centre-Research Institute of Atomic Reactors (JSC SSC RIAR), will be installed on Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer to help the ISRO’s lunar exploration mission.

Russia had supplied similar products to the US for the launching of three NASA expeditions -- Mars Pathfinder (1997), Opportunity (2004) and Curiosity (2012).

Antipin said that the world’s first soft landing of a Russian spacecraft happened on Comet Churyumov -Gerasimenko. The lander Philae that had Cm-244 transmitted accurate data about the comet’s surface composition to Earth.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Human colony on moon certainly a possibility

Hyderabad: Veteran space scientist K Kasturirangan has said decades of space research have only touched the tip of the iceberg understanding various planets, and continuous exploration of the solar system would throw light on possible options for humans to settle down. The former Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) also said that establishing a human colony on the moon is certainly possible that can have objective to explore and exploit resources.

"As a human colony (on lunar surface)...certainly this is possible but as a permanent place for human habitation...one has to evaluate it after the initial exploration part of it," Kasturirangan told PTI.

"There are for example...Chandrayaan-1 (India's moon mission) has looked at a 10-km tunnel (on moon) which looks to be a very nice way in which human beings....after all these developments for centuries, will go back into caves.

That's possible. So, I can't say anything about this at this stage," he said. The former Secretary in Department of Space and ex-Chairman of Space Commission, said issues of sustainability are yet to be evaluated on the matter of permanently setting down on moon. "That's exactly why you want to explore some more objects in the solar system to evaluate that sustainability," he said.

On reports that a mission to Venus is on the drawing board of ISRO, Kasturirangan said, "If that is there, it's great. Solar system is a system on which we have not made much progress and understand...50 to 60 years of space research by itself has only touched the tip of the iceberg understanding the various planets."

Any exploration of the planet gives one an insight into origin and evolution of the solar system, he noted.

"Secondly, this (exploration in general) is to look at some of the planets in respect to long term survivability of human kind," he added. "Currently, human kind has originated and evolved on the Earth.

Can this be a single point of habitation for the human kind? or do we need to have other options in the solar system, so that there is no single point catastrophe that can destroy the society or human kind due to some unexpected reasons...it could be related to meteoric impacts or it could be local problems like virus and things of that kind," he said.

Kasturirangan said exploration of the solar system is a human imperative of the future."How we want to explore this and what kind of planets should come in the agenda are a matter of choice between scientists and other strategic thinkers. And I think that's what ISRO is currently doing," he said.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Chandrayaan-2 to measure water on the moon: Misra

Ahmedabad: Work on some of the critical sensors of the Chandrayaan-2 mission is nearing completion at the Space Applications Centre (SAC) and the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL).

These include three major payloads — scientific probes, crucial sensors and communication equipment that will be present in the orbiter, Lander and the Rover of the Chandrayaan-2 mission.

The latest sensors will help ISRO validate, confirm and even make more crucial in-depth discoveries of the moon's topography in continuation to Chandrayaan-1 discoveries. While Chandrayaan-1 found water on the moon, SAC has mounted a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) providing L and S band readings on the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter that will help calculate the amount of water on the moon.

"The SAR through differential readings can provide us an idea of the volume of water on moon surface," said SAC director Tapan Misra on the sidelines of the National Science Day celebrations at SAC. The orbiter will also carry three separate hyperspectral cameras that will map the terrain of the moon, including providing information on the mineralogy of the moon surface.

Besides the orbiter, SAC is providing the Rover with a high definition camera and a scientific probe, developed at Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) to conduct on-site mineral investigations of the moon soil and rocks.

SAC officials claim that a new innovation onboard the Chandrayaan-2 is special radar altimeter that will help the Lander to orient itself while it lands on the moon surface safely. The same altimeter will be used for a small test flight of the human space flight mission.

The hi-tech SAC payloads will now be sent to Ahmedabad to be installed on Chnadrayaan-2 mission to carry out tests.

 

[Villager]

ISRO's "LOST" Chandrayaan-1 Found Orbiting Moon: NASA

ISRO's Chandrayaan-1 was launched in 2008. It was considered lost till NASA scientists found it.


WASHINGTON: India's first unmanned mission to the moon- Chandrayaan 1- which was believed lost, is still orbiting the moon, say NASA scientists.

The Chandrayaan-1, which cost $79 million, was launched in 2008 to map the moon's surface and look for precious resources. It was assigned a two-year mission. Scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) lost contact with Chandrayaan-1.

Now, scientists at NASA have successfully located the spacecraft still circling some 200 kilometres above the lunar surface.


Finding the spacecraft required some "detective work because the last contact with the spacecraft was on August 29, 2009," said Marina Brozovic, a radar scientist in Californiai.

The Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft is very small, a cube about 1.5 meters on each side - about the size of a Maruti 800.

It was found using inter-planetary radar which helps observe small asteroids several million miles from Earth.


Finding a derelict spacecraft that has not been tracked for years and is as far as the moon is tricky because the moon is riddled with mascons (regions with higher-than-average gravitational pull) that can dramatically affect a spacecraft's orbit over time, and even cause it to have crashed into the Moon.

Chandrayan-1 reported first evidence of the presence of water molecules on the moon's surface in 2009. ISRO had suggested that the spacecraft's orbit would slowly decay and it would ultimately crash onto the lunar surface. A scientist there told NDTV, "It is very heartening that India's first inter-planetary probe has survived the vagaries of space for nine long years."

Experts suggest the Chandrayaan-1 is now a derelict souvenir, which, though in orbit, cannot receive or send data to earth, which means it's space junk.

In 2014, India triumphed with its unmanned spacecraft reaching Mars at a cost of $74 million, a fraction of the $671 million spent by NASA on similar missions - and far cheaper than the budget of the Hollywood space blockbuster "Gravity".

India plans to send its second mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-2, early next year.

 

[rishivashista13]

Do chandra yaan 1 achieved all goals and purposes before getting lost ??

Sent from my Micromax Q380 using Tapatalk

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Do chandra yaan 1 achieved all goals and purposes before getting lost ??

Sent from my Micromax Q380 using Tapatalk

It couldn't make Moon Atlas and some other experiments as some equipment was destroyed during launch error.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

NASA has found India's now dysfunctional Chandrayaan-1 Probe, it is still orbiting Moon.
New NASA Radar Technique Finds Lost Lunar Spacecraft

DSS-14 is NASA's 70-meter (230-foot) antenna located at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in California. It is known as the “Mars Antenna” as it was first to receive signals from the first spacecraft to closely observe Mars, Mariner 4, on March 18, 1966.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Finding derelict spacecraft and space debris in Earth’s orbit can be a technological challenge. Detecting these objects in orbit around Earth’s moon is even more difficult. Optical telescopes are unable to search for small objects hidden in the bright glare of the moon. However, a new technological application of interplanetary radar pioneered by scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, has successfully located spacecraft orbiting the moon -- one active, and one dormant. This new technique could assist planners of future moon missions.

“We have been able to detect NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter [LRO] and the Indian Space Research Organization’s Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft in lunar orbit with ground-based radar,” said Marina Brozović, a radar scientist at JPL and principal investigator for the test project. “Finding LRO was relatively easy, as we were working with the mission’s navigators and had precise orbit data where it was located. Finding India’s Chandrayaan-1 required a bit more detective work because the last contact with the spacecraft was in August of 2009.”

Add to the mix that the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft is very small, a cube about five feet (1.5 meters) on each side -- about half the size of a smart car. Although the interplanetary radar has been used to observe small asteroids several million miles from Earth, researchers were not certain that an object of this smaller size as far away as the moon could be detected, even with the world’s most powerful radars. Chandrayaan-1 proved the perfect target for demonstrating the capability of this technique.

This computer generated image depicts the Chandrayaan-1’s location at time it was detected by the Goldstone Solar System radar on July 2, 2016. In the graphic the 120-mile (200-kilometer) wide purple circle represents the width of the Goldstone radar beam at lunar distance. The radar beam was pointed 103 miles (165 kilometers) off the lunar surface. The white box in the upper-right corner of the animation depicts the strength of echo. As the spacecraft entered and exited the radar beam (purple circle), the echo from the spacecraft alternated between being very strong and very weak, as the radar beam scattered from the flat metal surfaces. Once the spacecraft flew outside the beam, the echo was gone.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

While they all use microwaves, not all radar transmitters are created equal. The average police radar gun has an operational range of about one mile, while air traffic control radar goes to about 60 miles. To find a spacecraft 237,000 miles (380,000 kilometers) away, JPL’s team used NASA's 70-meter (230-foot) antenna at NASA's Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in California to send out a powerful beam of microwaves directed toward the moon. Then the radar echoes bounced back from lunar orbit were received by the 100-meter (330-foot) Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia.

Finding a derelict spacecraft at lunar distance that has not been tracked for years is tricky because the moon is riddled with mascons (regions with higher-than-average gravitational pull) that can dramatically affect a spacecraft’s orbit over time, and even cause it to have crashed into the moon. JPL’s orbital calculations indicated that Chandrayaan-1 is still circling some 124 miles (200 kilometers) above the lunar surface, but it was generally considered “lost.”

However, with Chandrayaan-1, the radar team utilized the fact that this spacecraft is in polar orbit around the moon, so it would always cross above the lunar poles on each orbit. So, on July 2, 2016, the team pointed Goldstone and Green Bank at a location about 100 miles (160 kilometers) above the moon’s north pole and waited to see if the lost spacecraft crossed the radar beam. Chandrayaan-1 was predicted to complete one orbit around the moon every two hours and 8 minutes. Something that had a radar signature of a small spacecraft did cross the beam twice during four hours of observations, and the timings between detections matched the time it would take Chandrayaan-1 to complete one orbit and return to the same position above the moon’s pole.

Radar imagery acquired of the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft as it flew over the moon’s south pole on July 3, 2016. The imagery was acquired using NASA's 70-meter (230-foot) antenna at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in California. This is one of four detections of Chandrayaan-1 from that day.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The team used data from the return signal to estimate its velocity and the distance to the target. This information was then used to update the orbital predictions for Chandrayaan-1.

“It turns out that we needed to shift the location of Chandrayaan-1 by about 180 degrees, or half a cycle from the old orbital estimates from 2009,” said Ryan Park, the manager of JPL’s Solar System Dynamics group, who delivered the new orbit back to the radar team. “But otherwise, Chandrayaan-1’s orbit still had the shape and alignment that we expected.”

Radar echoes from the spacecraft were obtained seven more times over three months and are in perfect agreement with the new orbital predictions. Some of the follow-up observations were done with the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, which has the most powerful astronomical radar system on Earth. Arecibo is operated by the National Science Foundation with funding from NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office for the radar capability.

Hunting down LRO and rediscovering Chandrayaan-1 have provided the start for a unique new capability. Working together, the large radar antennas at Goldstone, Arecibo and Green Bank demonstrated that they can detect and track even small spacecraft in lunar orbit. Ground-based radars could possibly play a part in future robotic and human missions to the moon, both for a collisional hazard assessment tool and as a safety mechanism for spacecraft that encounter navigation or communication issues.

JPL manages and operates NASA's Deep Space Network, including the Goldstone Solar System Radar, and hosts the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies for NASA's Near-Earth Object Observations Program, an element of the Planetary Defense Coordination Office within the agency's Science Mission Directorate.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

India plans to send seismometer to study moonquakes

How will man tackle quakes when he colonises moon in the not-so-distant future? India will be joining some nations in the quest for a better understanding of moonquakes as plans are afoot to send a seismometer on board the landing instrument of Chandrayaan-2 scheduled to be launched in 2014/15.

Sensors of the seismometer built by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are now undergoing calibration at the CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) here. The first phase of calibration is over and the second phase will start soon, according to seismologist D. Srinagesh, who will be studying the seismic aspects of moonquakes along with his team at NGRI. He told The Hindu that the largest moonquake ever recorded was 5.5 magnitude by the seismometers deployed on the moon’s surface during Apollo missions in late 1960s and 70s.

4 types of such quakes

Dr. Srinagesh said basically there were four types of moonquakes: deep moonquakes that occur up to 700 km below the surface of the moon and probably caused by tides, vibrations from the impact of meteorites, thermal quakes caused by expansion of the frigid crust of the moon and shallow quakes up to 20-30 km and as many as 28 were recorded between 1972 and 1977.

Dr. Srinagesh said earlier studies found that the first three types were generally harmless. Under the ISRO-NGRI collaborative project, it was intended to characterise moonquakes in terms of their magnitude and depth. One of the focus areas would be to study the causes of shallow quakes and the regions of their occurrence. This was needed because the seismometers deployed during Apollo missions were located in a small region, mostly the front side of the moon.

Pointing out that there was significant difference between moonquakes and earthquakes, he said the energy produced through the former would last longer due to the underlying structure of the moon.

The aim of the study was to help in designing structures with flexible materials to withstand moonquakes. For instance, anything above five magnitude earthquake could cause cracks in plaster and move furniture in a building.

Although one seismometer was being planned to be deployed, there was a possibility for a second instrument, he added.