The Indian rover confirmed the presence of sulfur at the south pole of the moon. The spacecraft also identified other elements such as aluminum, iron and calcium, One of its first visits to the lunar surface was reported on Tuesday by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
Pragyan, as the rover has been named (meaning “wisdom” in Sanskrit), has two instruments at its disposal to conduct experiments on chemistry and chemistry. This discovery was made possible by a laser-induced spectroscopic instrument. “In situ measurements unequivocally confirm the presence of sulfur in the region,” ISRO said. The agency said on its website that it also identified the presence of chromium, titanium, manganese, silicon and oxygen.
This Monday, the space robot’s route had to be reprogrammed after it approached a four-meter-wide crater. “Now he is safely on his new path,” ISRO later reported. Pragyan moves slowly, at a speed of 10 centimeters per second. This allows you to avoid the risk of impact and damage, which is quite possible due to the uneven terrain of the Moon.
The rover left the lander last week after an Indian spacecraft successfully landed near the moon’s south pole on August 23. According to the plan, the mission ship “Chandrayan-3” I will conduct experiments within 14 days. After this time, your solar powered equipment will stop working.
Looking for signs of water at the south pole of the moon
Sulfur in the Moon’s volcanic rocks is a sign of the presence of iron sulfide in the Moon’s rocky interior. The previous study explains that precious metals are believed to have remained on this surface area when lava arose on the Earth’s satellite.
The presence of oxygen on the Moon was also discovered many years ago. Unlike Earth, this element is contained within the lunar regolith, the outermost layer of rock and dust that covers the lunar atmosphere.
India first country to reach the South Pole of the Moon. Russia almost robbed him of this feat, but his mission failed a few days before the arrival of the Indian ship. One of Pragyan’s goals is to collect data to better understand the presence of water on the Moon’s surface. However, the mission does not have tools capable of directly confirming their presence, the mission leaders explained.
He The Indian vehicle uses navigation cameras to survey the area and transmit images to Earth. can move no more than 500 meters from the location of the lander.
According to a group of scientists from the National Academy of Sciences of China, there may be about 270,000 million tons of water in the form of ice. NASA has already scheduled a manned mission in 2025 to explore these possible reserves in more depth. China will also do the same, but by 2030.
Source: Hiper Textual
