Chandrayaan-1/moon Impact Probe
Chandrayaan-1's instruments discovered trace levels of hydroxyl (blue) and water on the lunar surface.
Quick Facts: Chandrayaan-1
The Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft from India was a key component in the discovery of water molecules on the Moon.
1. India’s first deep space mission was Chandrayaan-1.
2. Its collection of sensors included NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3), an imaging spectrometer that supported the finding of water trapped in lunar minerals.
3. The orbiter also discharged an impactor that was purposefully sent at the Moon, scattering debris that the science equipment on board, orbiting spacecraft analyzed.
About Chandrayaan-1:
Nation- India
Objective-Lunar Orbit, Lunar Impact
Spacecraft-Chandrayaan-1 / Moon Impact Probe (MIP)
Spacecraft Mass- (1,380 kilograms)
Mission Design and Management- Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
Launch Vehicle- PSLV-XL
Launch Date and Time- Oct. 22, 2008 / 00:52:11 UT
End Date and Time- Aug. 28, 2009 / 20:00 UT
Launch Site- Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, India
Scientific Instruments- Main Satellite
1. Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC)
2. Hyper Spectral Imager (HySI)
3. Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument (LLRI)
4. High Energy X-ray Spectrometer (HEX)
5. Chandrayaan-1 X-ray Spectrometer (CIXS)
6. Near Infrared Spectrometer (SIR-2)
7. Sub KeV Atom Reflecting Analyzer (SARA)
8. Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar (Mini SAR)
9. NASA’s Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3)
10. Radiation Dose Monitor (RADOM)
Moon Impact Probe (MIP)
1. Radar Altimeter
2. Video Imaging System
3. Chandra’s Altitudinal Composition Explorer (Mass Spectrometer) (CHASE)
NOTE- It was India's first deep space mission (also the first to the Moon)
Results:
The first Indian deep space mission, Chandrayaan-1, was launched with the intention of orbiting the Moon and delivering an impactor to its surface.
The study of the Moon's chemical, mineralogical, and photo geologic mapping was one of the goals. The spacecraft also carried scientific instruments from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, and Bulgaria in addition to the five Indian instruments.
Chandrayaan-1 was launched into a geostationary transfer orbit with an initial distance of 140 x 14,180 miles (225 x 22,817 kilometers) and an inclination of 17.9 degrees.
Five blasts of the spacecraft's 99 pound-force (44.9 kilogram-force) liquid engine that sequentially boosted orbit on October 13th enhanced the apogee of the orbit on oct 23 (to a distance of 23,500 miles or 37,900 kilometers), Oct. 25 (to a distance of 46,430 miles or 74,715 kilometers), Oct. 26 (to a distance of 102,300 miles or 164,600 kilometers), Oct. 29 (to a distance of 166,000 miles or 267,000 kilometers), and Nov. (to 236,100 miles or 380,000 kilometers).
Finally, on November 8, during a burn that started at 11:21 UT and lasted roughly 13.5 minutes, the probe successfully entered lunar orbit. The initial lunar orbital parameters were roughly 7,502 x 504 kilometers (4,660 x 310 miles).
Chandrayaan-1 gradually decreased its orbit between November 8 and November 12 to arrive at its operational polar orbit, which is located around 62 miles (100 kilometers) above the lunar surface. Chandrayaan released its 64-pound (29-kilogram) Moon Impact Probe two days later at 14:36 UTC (MIP). After using a small deorbit motor, the probe entered free fall and began transmitting data from its three sensors. At 15:01 UT, the probe fell onto the lunar surface close to the Shackleton Crater at the lunar South Pole.
Findings:
The presence of water in the lunar atmosphere has been suggested by data from Chandra's altitudinal composition explorer (CHASE), which took measurements every four seconds as it descended, according to Indian scientists, though the data is still preliminary in the absence of additional confirmation.
Collapse Of The Mission:
However, beginning in late November 2008, Chandrayaan-1 encountered unusually high temperatures, making it difficult for it to operate more than one scientific instrument at once. The spacecraft was moved to a higher 120-mile (200-kilometer) orbit in May 2009, ostensibly in an effort to maintain bearable temperatures inside the satellite.
The star sensor on Chandrayaan-1 failed after nine months of operation in lunar orbit. Soon after, a backup sensor also failed, putting the primary attitude control system of the spacecraft useless. Instead, a mechanical gyroscope system was used by controllers to maintain appropriate attitude.
At 0:00 UT on August 28, 2009, Chandrayaan-1 lost contact with Earth. Despite the fact that this fell short of the spacecraft's two-year lifespan, ISRO observed that at least 95% of its mission objectives had been met by then. The breakdown of the power supply due to overheating was the most likely reason for the mission's termination.
The discovery made by Chandrayaan-1 regarding water on the Moon may have been its most significant one. Scientists released the findings of data acquired by the American M3 instrument in September 2009. This instrument had discovered absorption characteristics on the polar portions of the Moon's surface that are often connected to hydroxyl- and/or water-bearing molecules.
The announcement of evidence of magmatic water, or water that originates from deep within the Moon's interior, being bound in mineral grains on the surface of the Moon came after this discovery in August 2013. Magmatic water had been discovered in samples brought back by Apollo astronauts, but it had not been detected from lunar orbit prior to the M3 instrument's functioning. Despite the fact that water molecules and hydroxyl were found by Cassini during its flyby of the Moon in August 1999 (using its VIMS instrument).
The same kind of information was also obtained by NASA's Deep Impact-EPOXI mission, which passed near the Moon in June 2009.