As the ISRO prepares for its third installation of the Chandrayaan lunar programme launch. As ISRO Chief Invites Citizens to Watch Live Launch on 14th July 2023. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) invite citizens to witness the launch of Chandrayaan-3 from the Launch View Gallery at SDSC-SHAR.
But today we learn what happen when the Chandrayaan-1 mission help discover water on the moon’s surface.
What is Chandrayaan-1?
On 22nd October, 2008, India launch the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft into Earth orbit using a PSLV rocket.
After performing orbit-raising maneuvers, Chandrayaan-1 successfully enter orbit around the Moon on 8th November 2008.
After the next four days, it use its engines at specific intervals to achieve a circular orbit around 100 kilometers (62 miles) above the Moon’s surface.
Which allow the spacecraft to closely study the Moon using its 11 instruments, with about half of them provide by NASA and European space agencies.
Communication with the orbiter was lost on 29th August, 2009, but the mission accomplish its main objectives, including the discovery of water on the Moon, as per the report by The Planetary Society.
The idea of launching Chandrayaan-1 originate from Dr. K. Kasturirangan, the former chair of ISRO.
Dr. K. Kasturirangan envision ISRO’s involvement in India’s ambition to become a superpower, and the concept of a Moon orbiter receive positive feedback.
ISRO already had satellites design for geostationary orbits, which could carry ample fuel.
With few modifications, a geostationary satellite could be adapt for a lunar mission.
Chandrayaan-1 became a natural progression of ISRO’s capabilities.
Discovering water on the Moon was a significant scientific goal of the Chandrayaan-1 mission.
NASA contribute two instruments, the Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar (Mini-SAR) and the Moon Mineralogical Mapper (M3), to aid in the search for water.
Mini-SAR detect patterns consistent with water ice in the reflections from polar craters, while M3 analyse how the lunar surface reflect and absorbe infrared light to confirm the presence of water.
M3 also provide valuable data on the distribution of water and hydroxyl across the Moon.
All these findings were crucial for future lunar missions and understanding the Moon’s origin, the report explains.
In addition to Indian instruments, the spacecraft carried scientific equipment from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, and Bulgaria, as per NASA.
After launch, Chandrayaan-1 enter an initial geostationary transfer orbit.
Over 13 days, the spacecraft perform five burns of its liquid engine to raise its orbit to higher apogees (the point in the orbit of the moon or a satellite at which it is furthest from the earth), reaching distances of 37,900 kilometers, 74,715 kilometers, 164,600 kilometers, 267,000 kilometers, and 380,000 kilometers.
On 8th November 2008, after a 13.5-minute burn, Chandrayaan-1 successfully enter lunar orbit.
Over the following days, the spacecraft gradually reduce its orbit to achieve an operational polar orbit at around 100 kilometers above the lunar surface.
Two days later, Chandrayaan-1 released its Moon Impact Probe (MIP), weighing 29 kilograms.
The probe descend, collecting data with its instruments until it crash onto the lunar surface near the Shackleton Crater at the south pole of the Moon, as per NASA.
During the MIP’s descent, data from Chandra’s altitudinal composition explorer (CHASE) indicated the potential presence of water in the lunar atmosphere, although further verification was necessary for conclusive evidence, as NASA explain.
In late November 2008, Chandrayaan-1 experience abnormally high temperatures, leading to operational limitations where only one scientific instrument could be use at a time.
In May 2009, Chandrayaan-1 was place into a higher orbit of 200 kilometers in an attempt to manage the temperatures on board the spacecraft.
During its operation in lunar orbit, Chandrayaan-1 encounter a failure in one of its star sensors after nine months.
The backup sensor also fail shortly after, resulting in the primary attitude control system becoming inoperable.
Controllers then relied on a mechanical gyroscope system to maintain the spacecraft’s proper attitude.
The last contact with Chandrayaan-1 occur on 28th August, 2009, falling short of its planned two-year lifetime.
So, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said that at least 95% of the mission objectives had accomplish by that point.
The mission likely end due to the failure of the power supply cause by overheating.
One of the significant discoveries made by Chandrayaan-1 pertain to the presence of water on the Moon.
In September 2009, scientists publish results based on data collect by the American M3 instrument, which detect absorption features on the polar regions of the lunar surface associated with hydroxyl- and/or water-bearing molecules, according to report.
Further support in August 2013 when evidence of water molecules lock within mineral grains on the lunar surface was announced.
This water, known as magmatic water, originates from deep within the Moon’s interior.
Apollo astronaut samples had previously reveal the presence of magmatic water, but Chandrayaan-1’s M3 instrument was the first to detect it from lunar orbit.
Prior indications of water molecules and hydroxyl were also observe by NASA’s Cassini mission during a flyby of the Moon in August 1999 and by NASA’s Deep Impact-EPOXI mission in June 2009.
What is Magmatic Water?
Magmatic water refers to water that is form or contain within molten rock, known as magma.
It originates from deep within the Earth’s mantle and is associate with volcanic processes.
When magma rises towards the Earth’s surface during volcanic activity, it can carry dissolved water in the form of hydrothermal fluids or water vapor.
As the magma cools and solidifies, the water becomes trap within the resulting igneous rocks, such as basalts or granites.
This water is refer to as magmatic water.
As per a report, Scientists believe that rocks from the Moon were completely devoid of water and any water detected in Apollo samples was consider to be contamination from Earth.
So, new laboratory techniques use in the investigation of lunar samples and data from orbital spacecraft challenge this notion.
The analysis of lunar samples reveal that the interior of the Moon is not as dry as previously thought.
Additionally, orbital spacecraft detect water on the lunar surface, suggesting the presence of a thin layer form by the interaction of solar wind with the lunar surface.
To investigate the origin of this surficial water and gain insights into deeper magmatic water within the lunar crust and mantle, scientists examine the lunar impact crater Bullialdus.
The M3 instrument, carried on the Indian Space Research Organisation’s Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft in 2009, fully image this crater.
The researchers discover that Bullialdus crater exhibited a significantly higher amount of hydroxyl, a molecule consisting of one oxygen atom and one hydrogen atom, compare to its surroundings.
The presence of hydroxyl absorption features indicate hydroxyl bound to magmatic minerals that were excavate from depth during the impact event that form the crater.
The identification of internal magmatic water in Bullialdus crater provides valuable information about the Moon’s volcanic processes and internal composition.
It contributes to our understanding of lunar formation and how magmatic processes evolve as the Moon cooled., as per report.
