By Online Desk
Now that the lander and rover have touched down on the lunar surface, the ‘real work’ of carrying out scientific experiments on the Moon’s surface can begin. The experiments will provide crucial data that will eventually help India, and the world, to design longer-lasting habitations on the Moon.
It is believed that the Moon can serve as a valuable ‘jumping off point’ for future space missions. Since any rocket taking off from the Moon will not have to spend a lot of its fuel overcoming the Earth’s gravity, such missions will be able to travel longer and reach farther than Earth-based missions.
The measurements will help unravel the geological processes that shaped the moon’s surface and interior over billions of years. It will enhance our knowledge of lunar geology, surface composition, subsurface structure, surface processes and dynamics, and the lunar exosphere.
Both the lander, which remains static, as well as the rover, which has the ability to ‘rove’ or move about, are decked with instrument arrays that will carry out various types of experiments. There are comparatively more instruments on the lander module compared to the rover.
The following are the different types of instrument assemblies and tests that will be conducted by the Vikram lander, orbiter and the rover.
RAMBHA or Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive ionosphere and Atmosphere: The purpose of this assembly is to measure the near-surface plasma (ions and electrons) density and the changes that happen to them with time. Ions and electrons, or charged particles, play an important role in enabling or disabling communication.
ChaSTE (Chandra’s Surface Thermo-physical Experiment): This payload will measure the vertical temperature gradient and thermal conductivity of the lunar surface. It will provide important insights into the lunar thermal environment and its evolution. The data will help determine how heat flows through the moon’s subsurface layers.
APXS (Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer): Unlike the above two — which largely focus on the physics of the lunar surface — this one will focus on the chemical aspects. It will try to determine the elemental composition of the lunar surface near the landing site. It will fire alpha particles at the lunar surface and detect the characteristic X-rays emitted from the surface rocks and soil. By analyzing the X-rays, APXS can determine the presence and quantity of chemical elements like Magnesium, Aluminum, Silicon, Calcium, Titanium and Iron. It is important to know the elemental composition for two reasons — one, as a potential resource for the earth, and secondly, as a resource for future space missions based on the Moon as the ‘base camp’.
LIBS (Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope): This is another instrument that will help achieve the same result — of figuring out the composition of the lunar surface. It will, however, do this in a more ‘explosive’ manner: It will vaporize microscopic samples of lunar surface materials using a laser. The high temperature plasma so generated emits light of characteristic wavelengths depending on the constituent elements. By spectroscopic analysis of the plasma, LIBS can determine the elemental composition and mineralogy of lunar surface materials.
LASA (Large Area Soft X-ray Spectrometer): This array of instruments will measure the intensity of soft X-rays coming from the lunar surface. It can detect elements like Magnesium, Aluminum and Silicon which have characteristic soft X-ray lines. LASA provides complementary data on surface chemical composition along with APXS and LIBS.
IMG (Imaging IR Spectrometer): This payload will map the mineral composition of the lunar surface by recording images in both visible and infrared wavelengths. Different minerals absorb characteristic wavelengths of light. By analyzing the spectral signature, the imaging spectrometer can identify lunar surface minerals like pyroxenes, olivine and plagioclase feldspars.
CHACE-2 (Chandra’s Atmospheric Composition Explorer 2): This quadrupole mass spectrometer instrument will study the composition and variability of the lunar neutral exosphere. The data will provide insights into the source and sink processes driving the lunar exosphere.
OHRC (Orbiter High Resolution Camera): This payload will take high resolution images of the lunar surface from the orbiter’s 100 km polar orbit. It will provide detailed imaging of the landing site region and enable change detection studies of the lunar surface.
ILD (Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity): This seismometer payload on the lander will study moonquakes and lunar seismic activity. It can characterise the lunar subsurface structure down to several tens of kilometres depth.
Now that the lander and rover have touched down on the lunar surface, the ‘real work’ of carrying out scientific experiments on the Moon’s surface can begin. The experiments will provide crucial data that will eventually help India, and the world, to design longer-lasting habitations on the Moon.
It is believed that the Moon can serve as a valuable ‘jumping off point’ for future space missions. Since any rocket taking off from the Moon will not have to spend a lot of its fuel overcoming the Earth’s gravity, such missions will be able to travel longer and reach farther than Earth-based missions.
The measurements will help unravel the geological processes that shaped the moon’s surface and interior over billions of years. It will enhance our knowledge of lunar geology, surface composition, subsurface structure, surface processes and dynamics, and the lunar exosphere.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
Both the lander, which remains static, as well as the rover, which has the ability to ‘rove’ or move about, are decked with instrument arrays that will carry out various types of experiments. There are comparatively more instruments on the lander module compared to the rover.
The following are the different types of instrument assemblies and tests that will be conducted by the Vikram lander, orbiter and the rover.
RAMBHA or Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive ionosphere and Atmosphere: The purpose of this assembly is to measure the near-surface plasma (ions and electrons) density and the changes that happen to them with time. Ions and electrons, or charged particles, play an important role in enabling or disabling communication.
ChaSTE (Chandra’s Surface Thermo-physical Experiment): This payload will measure the vertical temperature gradient and thermal conductivity of the lunar surface. It will provide important insights into the lunar thermal environment and its evolution. The data will help determine how heat flows through the moon’s subsurface layers.
APXS (Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer): Unlike the above two — which largely focus on the physics of the lunar surface — this one will focus on the chemical aspects. It will try to determine the elemental composition of the lunar surface near the landing site. It will fire alpha particles at the lunar surface and detect the characteristic X-rays emitted from the surface rocks and soil. By analyzing the X-rays, APXS can determine the presence and quantity of chemical elements like Magnesium, Aluminum, Silicon, Calcium, Titanium and Iron. It is important to know the elemental composition for two reasons — one, as a potential resource for the earth, and secondly, as a resource for future space missions based on the Moon as the ‘base camp’.
LIBS (Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope): This is another instrument that will help achieve the same result — of figuring out the composition of the lunar surface. It will, however, do this in a more ‘explosive’ manner: It will vaporize microscopic samples of lunar surface materials using a laser. The high temperature plasma so generated emits light of characteristic wavelengths depending on the constituent elements. By spectroscopic analysis of the plasma, LIBS can determine the elemental composition and mineralogy of lunar surface materials.
LASA (Large Area Soft X-ray Spectrometer): This array of instruments will measure the intensity of soft X-rays coming from the lunar surface. It can detect elements like Magnesium, Aluminum and Silicon which have characteristic soft X-ray lines. LASA provides complementary data on surface chemical composition along with APXS and LIBS.
IMG (Imaging IR Spectrometer): This payload will map the mineral composition of the lunar surface by recording images in both visible and infrared wavelengths. Different minerals absorb characteristic wavelengths of light. By analyzing the spectral signature, the imaging spectrometer can identify lunar surface minerals like pyroxenes, olivine and plagioclase feldspars.
CHACE-2 (Chandra’s Atmospheric Composition Explorer 2): This quadrupole mass spectrometer instrument will study the composition and variability of the lunar neutral exosphere. The data will provide insights into the source and sink processes driving the lunar exosphere.
OHRC (Orbiter High Resolution Camera): This payload will take high resolution images of the lunar surface from the orbiter’s 100 km polar orbit. It will provide detailed imaging of the landing site region and enable change detection studies of the lunar surface.
ILD (Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity): This seismometer payload on the lander will study moonquakes and lunar seismic activity. It can characterise the lunar subsurface structure down to several tens of kilometres depth.