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Deccan Herald - Chandrayaan: Payloads tasked
Chandrayaan: Payloads tasked
DH News Service, Bangalore:
India's maiden lunar mission, Chandrayaan-1 will be carrying eleven payloads when it launches on October 22.
Over the next two years, these payloads or scientific instruments will completely map the moon surface and conduct chemical and mineralogical mapping.
Out of these eleven payloads, five instruments have been developed and designed in India, three are from European Space Agency, two are from United States and one is from Bulgaria. Below is a brief description of each of the instruments.
Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC): A CCD camera, it will map topography in both near and far side of the Moon and prepare a 3-dimensional atlas with high spatial and altitude resolution. This will help in understanding the lunar evolution process as well identify regions for detailed study.
Hyper Spectral Imager (HySI): A CCD camera, it will obtain spectroscopic data for mineralogical mapping of the lunar surface and improve existing data. It will also study the mineralogical composition in deep crater regions of Moon’s interior.
Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument (LLRI): This instrument will provide data for determining the accurate height of lunar surface features. It will also aid in determining the global topographical field of the Moon and also generate an improved model for the lunar gravity field.
High Energy X-ray Spectrometer (HEX): The High-Energy X-ray spectrometer is designed to explore the possibility of exploring polar regions covered with thick water and ice deposits. It is designed to primarily study and identify regions of thorium and uranium deposits.
Moon Impact Probe (MIP): The only probe to actually land on the Moon, it will demonstrate the technologies required to land a probe at a desired location on the moon. It will also qualify technologies required for future soft landing missions and explore moon from a close range.
Chandrayaan-1 X-ray Spectrometer (C1XS): The primary goal of the C1XS instrument is to carry out high quality X-ray spectroscopic mapping of the Moon. C1XS will use X-ray fluorescence technique for measuring elemental abundance of Magnesium, Aluminium, Silicon, Calcium, Iron and Titanium distributed over the surface of the Moon.
Smart Near-IR Spectrometer (SIR-2): SIR-2 will analyse the lunar surface in mineral resources, formation of its surface features and survey mineral lunar resources for future landing sites and exploration.
Sub Kev Atom reflecting Analyser (SARA): The aim of this instrument is to study the surface composition of the moon, the way the moon’s surface reacts with the solar wind and magnetic anomalies associated with the surface of the moon.
Radiation Dose Monitor Experiment (RADOM): RADOM will qualitatively and quantitatively characterise the radiation environment in a region of space near the moon. Provide an estimate of the dose map around Moon at different altitudes and latitudes.
Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar (MiniSAR): This will detect water ice in the permanently shadowed regions on the Lunar poles up to a depth of a few meters. This radar mapper will allow viewing of all permanently shadowed areas on the Moon, regardless of whether sunlight is available or the angle is not satisfactory.
Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3): This spectrometer will assess and map lunar mineral resources at high spatial and spectral resolution to support planning for future, targeted missions. It will also help in characterising and mapping lunar materials in context of moon’s early geological evolution.
Chandrayaan: Payloads tasked
DH News Service, Bangalore:
India's maiden lunar mission, Chandrayaan-1 will be carrying eleven payloads when it launches on October 22.
Over the next two years, these payloads or scientific instruments will completely map the moon surface and conduct chemical and mineralogical mapping.
Out of these eleven payloads, five instruments have been developed and designed in India, three are from European Space Agency, two are from United States and one is from Bulgaria. Below is a brief description of each of the instruments.
Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC): A CCD camera, it will map topography in both near and far side of the Moon and prepare a 3-dimensional atlas with high spatial and altitude resolution. This will help in understanding the lunar evolution process as well identify regions for detailed study.
Hyper Spectral Imager (HySI): A CCD camera, it will obtain spectroscopic data for mineralogical mapping of the lunar surface and improve existing data. It will also study the mineralogical composition in deep crater regions of Moon’s interior.
Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument (LLRI): This instrument will provide data for determining the accurate height of lunar surface features. It will also aid in determining the global topographical field of the Moon and also generate an improved model for the lunar gravity field.
High Energy X-ray Spectrometer (HEX): The High-Energy X-ray spectrometer is designed to explore the possibility of exploring polar regions covered with thick water and ice deposits. It is designed to primarily study and identify regions of thorium and uranium deposits.
Moon Impact Probe (MIP): The only probe to actually land on the Moon, it will demonstrate the technologies required to land a probe at a desired location on the moon. It will also qualify technologies required for future soft landing missions and explore moon from a close range.
Chandrayaan-1 X-ray Spectrometer (C1XS): The primary goal of the C1XS instrument is to carry out high quality X-ray spectroscopic mapping of the Moon. C1XS will use X-ray fluorescence technique for measuring elemental abundance of Magnesium, Aluminium, Silicon, Calcium, Iron and Titanium distributed over the surface of the Moon.
Smart Near-IR Spectrometer (SIR-2): SIR-2 will analyse the lunar surface in mineral resources, formation of its surface features and survey mineral lunar resources for future landing sites and exploration.
Sub Kev Atom reflecting Analyser (SARA): The aim of this instrument is to study the surface composition of the moon, the way the moon’s surface reacts with the solar wind and magnetic anomalies associated with the surface of the moon.
Radiation Dose Monitor Experiment (RADOM): RADOM will qualitatively and quantitatively characterise the radiation environment in a region of space near the moon. Provide an estimate of the dose map around Moon at different altitudes and latitudes.
Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar (MiniSAR): This will detect water ice in the permanently shadowed regions on the Lunar poles up to a depth of a few meters. This radar mapper will allow viewing of all permanently shadowed areas on the Moon, regardless of whether sunlight is available or the angle is not satisfactory.
Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3): This spectrometer will assess and map lunar mineral resources at high spatial and spectral resolution to support planning for future, targeted missions. It will also help in characterising and mapping lunar materials in context of moon’s early geological evolution.