Today's Headlines - 24 August 2023
Vikram lander creates history
GS Paper - 3 (Space Technology)
India became the first country to touch down on the lunar South Pole on 23 August 2023 as billions watched from around the globe. The Chandrayaan-3 lander - designed to deploy a smaller, 26-kg lunar rover - landed on the surface of the moon, marking a giant leap in India’s spacefaring journey.The Moon has captivated human curiosity for centuries, and with each new mission.
What is the Moon's geological history and evolution?
The Moon is estimated to be about 4.5 billion years old, roughly the same age as the Earth.
The leading theory about the Moon's formation suggests that a Mars-sized celestial body collided with the young Earth, and the debris from this collision eventually coalesced to form the lunar body.
However, current geological evidence from the Moon suggests that it may be younger by just 60 million years compared to Earth.
How much do things weigh on the Moon?
The Moon's gravitational pull is much weaker than Earth's, approximately one-sixth of Earth's gravity.
As a result, objects on the Moon weigh significantly less than they do on Earth. This is due to the Moon's smaller size and mass.
For example, a person weighing 68 kilograms on the Earth would weigh only over 11 kg on the Moon.
Why do Indian scientists want to land on the Moon's South Pole?
The lunar South Pole has become a focal point for exploration due to its unique features and potential scientific value.
It is believed to host a vast reservoir of water ice in permanently shadowed regions. The presence of water is of immense significance for future space exploration, as it can be converted into resources such as drinking water, oxygen and hydrogen for rocket fuel.
Also, the permanently sunlit area in the region has a temperature of around minus 50 to 10 degrees Celsius, which provides better chemical conditions for the electronics onboard the rover and lander to work properly.
What is in the lunar South Pole?
The terrain and geology at the Moon's South Pole are distinct from other regions. Permanently shadowed craters provide extremely cold conditions that allow water ice to accumulate and persist.
The unique geography of the South Pole also creates regions of perpetual sunlight, which can be harnessed for solar power.
The terrain varies from rugged landscapes to relatively flat plains, offering a diverse range of scientific opportunities.
Why is a region of the lunar South Pole permanently shadowed?
This depends on the Moon's geology. The Moon's axis is only slightly tilted relative to its orbit around the Earth.
This results in certain areas near the poles being in permanent shadow. These shadows create extremely cold environments where temperatures can plummet to very low levels.
These frigid conditions are conducive to preserving water ice for billions of years.
#upsc #news #headline #vikram #lander #history #spacetechnology #southpole #lunarrover #chandrayaan #centuries #moongeological #evolution #earth #collision #gravity #mass #scientists #waterice #hydrogen #chemicalconditions #landscapes #sunlight #environment #shadow #earthgravity
Vikram lander creates history
GS Paper - 3 (Space Technology)
India became the first country to touch down on the lunar South Pole on 23 August 2023 as billions watched from around the globe. The Chandrayaan-3 lander - designed to deploy a smaller, 26-kg lunar rover - landed on the surface of the moon, marking a giant leap in India’s spacefaring journey.The Moon has captivated human curiosity for centuries, and with each new mission.
What is the Moon's geological history and evolution?
The Moon is estimated to be about 4.5 billion years old, roughly the same age as the Earth.
The leading theory about the Moon's formation suggests that a Mars-sized celestial body collided with the young Earth, and the debris from this collision eventually coalesced to form the lunar body.
However, current geological evidence from the Moon suggests that it may be younger by just 60 million years compared to Earth.
How much do things weigh on the Moon?
The Moon's gravitational pull is much weaker than Earth's, approximately one-sixth of Earth's gravity.
As a result, objects on the Moon weigh significantly less than they do on Earth. This is due to the Moon's smaller size and mass.
For example, a person weighing 68 kilograms on the Earth would weigh only over 11 kg on the Moon.
Why do Indian scientists want to land on the Moon's South Pole?
The lunar South Pole has become a focal point for exploration due to its unique features and potential scientific value.
It is believed to host a vast reservoir of water ice in permanently shadowed regions. The presence of water is of immense significance for future space exploration, as it can be converted into resources such as drinking water, oxygen and hydrogen for rocket fuel.
Also, the permanently sunlit area in the region has a temperature of around minus 50 to 10 degrees Celsius, which provides better chemical conditions for the electronics onboard the rover and lander to work properly.
What is in the lunar South Pole?
The terrain and geology at the Moon's South Pole are distinct from other regions. Permanently shadowed craters provide extremely cold conditions that allow water ice to accumulate and persist.
The unique geography of the South Pole also creates regions of perpetual sunlight, which can be harnessed for solar power.
The terrain varies from rugged landscapes to relatively flat plains, offering a diverse range of scientific opportunities.
Why is a region of the lunar South Pole permanently shadowed?
This depends on the Moon's geology. The Moon's axis is only slightly tilted relative to its orbit around the Earth.
This results in certain areas near the poles being in permanent shadow. These shadows create extremely cold environments where temperatures can plummet to very low levels.
These frigid conditions are conducive to preserving water ice for billions of years.
#upsc #news #headline #vikram #lander #history #spacetechnology #southpole #lunarrover #chandrayaan #centuries #moongeological #evolution #earth #collision #gravity #mass #scientists #waterice #hydrogen #chemicalconditions #landscapes #sunlight #environment #shadow #earthgravity
Today's Headlines - 02 September 2023
Chandrayaan-3 confirms Sulphur in lunar surface
GS Paper - 3 (Space Technology)
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said the Pragyan rover's Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope confirmed the presence of sulphur in the lunar surface near the south pole, through the first-ever in-situ measurements. Pragyan is a lunar rover that forms part of Chandrayaan-3, the lunar mission developed by ISRO.
More about discovery
The Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument onboard Chandrayaan-3 Rover has made the first-ever in-situ measurements on the elemental composition of the lunar surface near the South Pole.
These in-situ measurements confirm the presence of sulphur (S) in the region unambiguously, something that was not feasible by the instruments onboard the orbiters.
LIBS is a scientific technique that analyses the composition of materials by exposing them to intense laser pulses.
A high-energy laser pulse is focused onto the surface of a material, such as a rock or soil. The laser pulse generates extremely hot and localised plasma.
The collected plasma light is spectrally resolved and detected by detectors such as Charge Coupled Devices. Since each element emits a characteristic set of wavelengths of light when it is in a plasma state, the elemental composition of the material is determined.
Chandrayaan-3 successfully executed a soft landing on the moon on 23 August 2023, making India the fourth nation in the world to achieve a successful lunar landing.
India also marked a milestone by becoming the first country to land near the South Pole, an area believed to harbour significant amounts of water ice.
ISRO on 29 August 2023 said preliminary analyses, graphically represented, have unveiled the presence of aluminium (Al), sulphur (S), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), chromium (Cr), and titanium (Ti) on the lunar surface.
Further measurements have revealed the presence of manganese (Mn), silicon (Si), and oxygen (O). A thorough investigation regarding the presence of hydrogen is underway.
Flashback
The LIBS instrument is developed at the Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems (LEOS) / ISRO, Bengaluru.
LEOS, situated at Peenya Industrial Estate, Bengaluru, is one of the vital units of ISRO.
It deals with the design, development, and production of attitude sensors for all low Earth orbit (LEO), geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) and interplanetary missions.
It develops and delivers optical systems for remote sensing and meteorological payloads.
#upsc #news #headline #chandryaan #sulphur #lunar #surface #spacetechnology #ISRO #pragyan #laser #spectroscope #southpole #situ #measurment #rover #LIBS #elemental #composition #scientific #technique #materials #laserpulse #rock #soil #plasma #wavelengths #light #chargedevices #softlanding #milestone #waterice #aluminium #calcium #iron #chromium #titanium #silicon #oxygen #manganese #hydrogen #LEOS #GEO #peenya
Chandrayaan-3 confirms Sulphur in lunar surface
GS Paper - 3 (Space Technology)
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said the Pragyan rover's Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope confirmed the presence of sulphur in the lunar surface near the south pole, through the first-ever in-situ measurements. Pragyan is a lunar rover that forms part of Chandrayaan-3, the lunar mission developed by ISRO.
More about discovery
The Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument onboard Chandrayaan-3 Rover has made the first-ever in-situ measurements on the elemental composition of the lunar surface near the South Pole.
These in-situ measurements confirm the presence of sulphur (S) in the region unambiguously, something that was not feasible by the instruments onboard the orbiters.
LIBS is a scientific technique that analyses the composition of materials by exposing them to intense laser pulses.
A high-energy laser pulse is focused onto the surface of a material, such as a rock or soil. The laser pulse generates extremely hot and localised plasma.
The collected plasma light is spectrally resolved and detected by detectors such as Charge Coupled Devices. Since each element emits a characteristic set of wavelengths of light when it is in a plasma state, the elemental composition of the material is determined.
Chandrayaan-3 successfully executed a soft landing on the moon on 23 August 2023, making India the fourth nation in the world to achieve a successful lunar landing.
India also marked a milestone by becoming the first country to land near the South Pole, an area believed to harbour significant amounts of water ice.
ISRO on 29 August 2023 said preliminary analyses, graphically represented, have unveiled the presence of aluminium (Al), sulphur (S), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), chromium (Cr), and titanium (Ti) on the lunar surface.
Further measurements have revealed the presence of manganese (Mn), silicon (Si), and oxygen (O). A thorough investigation regarding the presence of hydrogen is underway.
Flashback
The LIBS instrument is developed at the Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems (LEOS) / ISRO, Bengaluru.
LEOS, situated at Peenya Industrial Estate, Bengaluru, is one of the vital units of ISRO.
It deals with the design, development, and production of attitude sensors for all low Earth orbit (LEO), geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) and interplanetary missions.
It develops and delivers optical systems for remote sensing and meteorological payloads.
#upsc #news #headline #chandryaan #sulphur #lunar #surface #spacetechnology #ISRO #pragyan #laser #spectroscope #southpole #situ #measurment #rover #LIBS #elemental #composition #scientific #technique #materials #laserpulse #rock #soil #plasma #wavelengths #light #chargedevices #softlanding #milestone #waterice #aluminium #calcium #iron #chromium #titanium #silicon #oxygen #manganese #hydrogen #LEOS #GEO #peenya