Chandrayaan

CHANDRAYAAN The primary objectives of Chandrayaan are: 1. To expand scientific knowledge about the moon 2. To upgrade India's technological capability 3. To provide challenging opportunities for planetary     research to the younger generation of Indian scientists. The main objective was to design, develop, launch and orbit a spacecraft around the Moon using an Indian-made launch vehicle. Chandrayaan aims to achieve these well defined objectives through high resolution remote sensing of the moon in the visible, near infrared, microwave and X-ray regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. With this, preparation of a 3-dimensional atlas of the lunar surface and chemical mapping of entire lunar surface is envisaged. The results expected from the orbiter with the instruments on-board are: • Chemical and mineralogical mapping of the entire lunar surface at high spatial resolution, mapping particularly the chemical elements Magnesium, Aluminium, Silicon, Calcium, Iron, Titanium, Radon, Uranium, & Thorium. • The impact of a sub-satellite (Moon Impact Probe — MIP) on the surface on the Moon as a fore-runner to future soft-landing mission. Some other scientific areas of study for the orbiter are: • High-resolution mineralogical and chemical imaging of the permanently shadowed north and south polar regions. • Search for surface or sub-surface water-ice on the Moon, especially at the lunar poles. • Identification of chemicals in lunar highland rocks. • To map the height variation of the lunar surface features. • To provide new insights in understanding the Moon's origin and evolution. What is expected from Chandrayaan mission' After thousands of years of naked eye observations, 400 years of telescopic observations, a hundred odd years of astrophysical observations with spectroscopes and a half century of spacecraft ventures towards our nearest celestial neighbor, what is it that is expected from Chandrayaan mission' Research It may appear surprising but fact is that the Moon has really not been studied in all detail, in spite of a number of spacecrafts that have reached, orbited, or landed on the Moon. In fact the topography of the Moon is not as well known as that of Mars. Chandrayaan will provide a unique opportunity for scientific research. The process had started with successful crash landing of Moon Impact Probe (MIP) painted with Indian flag on its sides. Mission Objectives • To place the Indian Tricolour on the moon. • The new set of data would help in unraveling mysteries about the origin and evolution of solar system in general and that of the moon in particular. • To place the spacecraft in a circular orbit around the moon by orbit raising manoeuvres from a near Earth orbit. Concerns • Why the country is so eager to spend almost 400 crores on reaching the Moon when the Americans and Russians have already done that more than 40 years ago' • What we are going to achieve from it for the benefit of masses' • So far as communications and remote sensing satellites are concerned, the country’s space programme has done extremely well making a global impact. • Does the country then really stand to benefit from this apparently scientific extravaganza' • Keeping in view the decreasing strength of students making career in science and those who do so continuing with that further, should we take up future missions like sending man on the moon or interplanetary missions' • Will we be having sufficient skilled man power to continue the missions further' • Will we be able to bring back the Helium isotopes back to earth from Moon' • Do we have the technology to generate nuclear energy with fusion reactors which is yet a dream only' • Why not utilize the funds for research into Fusion Reactor designs for energy generation' FUTURE PROMISES OF CHANDRAYAAN Chandrayaan mission is expected to lay the platform for many interplanetary missions. It will also set the direction and basis of future missions to be designed for further exploration of the Moon and Mars. Chandrayaan-1 is the first spacecraft mission of ISRO beyond Earth orbit. Chandrayaan-1 will be followed by Chandrayaan-2 which features a lander and a rover. India and Russia will jointly participate in this project.