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ISRO to orbit six nano satellites along with Oceansat-2


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Bangalore/Mumbai: The Indian Space Research Organisation has begun the final countdown for the launch of a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) carrying six nano and one major satellite into space. To be launched from the spaceport at Sriharikota, the 51-hour countdown began on Monday at 9am.

The major satellite is the 960 kg Oceansat-2, which will now follow its predecessor, the Oceansat-1, to become the country's second satellite to study the interaction of oceans and atmospheres.

The Oceansat-2 is also the country's 16th remote sensing satellite.

In the shape of a cuboid, with two solar panels projecting from its sides, the satellite will map fishing zones around India, measure ocean surface wind speeds, as well as atmospheric temperature and humidity.

A unique aspect of the mission will be the fact that the a total of seven satellites will be placed in orbit in the space of 20 minutes - a feat matching the one performed last year in April when ISRO launched 10 satellites.

Of the six nano satellites, four are from Germany, one from Switzerland and another from Turkey.

While Oceansat-2 will be orbited after 1,055 seconds, four nano satellites will be ejected in the next 45 seconds. Two others are meant to stay with the fourth stage of the rocket.

Staring September 1993, uptill April 2009, PSLV has been launched 15 times of which, fourteen have been successful.
 
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The Hindu : Front Page : Water discovered on moon?: “A lot of it actually”


Water discovered on moon?: “A lot of it actually”


BANGALORE: Speculation is rife among space scientists that the quest for water on the moon may have reached a climactic end with the discovery of “a lot of water” by an instrument on board Chandrayaan-I.

A report by the online space news portal, Space Ref, says this discovery, made by the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) on board the Indian mission, will be the subject of a press conference, to be addressed by Carle Pieters, planetary geologist and principal investigator of the instrument, at the NASA headquarters on Thursday.:agree:

The Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3), an imaging spectrometer, was one of the 11 instruments on board Chandrayaan-I that came to a premature end on August 29. M3 was aimed at providing the first mineral map of the entire lunar surface.

Hinting at this exciting development, a recent report published by Nature News says: “Results soon to be published… will show detailed spectra confirming that, indeed, the polar regions of the moon are chockfull of water-altered minerals:cheers:

Lunar scientists have for decades contended with the possibility of water repositories. They are now increasingly “confident that the decades-long debate is over,” the report says. “The moon, in fact, has water in all sorts of places; not just locked up in minerals, but scattered throughout the broken-up surface, and, potentially, in blocks or sheets of ice at depth.” The results from the NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter are also “offering a wide array of watery signals.”

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:taz: to those who say Chandrayaan is failure
 
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The Hindu : Front Page : Water discovered on moon?: “A lot of it actually”


Water discovered on moon?: “A lot of it actually”


BANGALORE: Speculation is rife among space scientists that the quest for water on the moon may have reached a climactic end with the discovery of “a lot of water” by an instrument on board Chandrayaan-I.

A report by the online space news portal, Space Ref, says this discovery, made by the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) on board the Indian mission, will be the subject of a press conference, to be addressed by Carle Pieters, planetary geologist and principal investigator of the instrument, at the NASA headquarters on Thursday.:agree:

The Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3), an imaging spectrometer, was one of the 11 instruments on board Chandrayaan-I that came to a premature end on August 29. M3 was aimed at providing the first mineral map of the entire lunar surface.

Hinting at this exciting development, a recent report published by Nature News says: “Results soon to be published… will show detailed spectra confirming that, indeed, the polar regions of the moon are chockfull of water-altered minerals:cheers:

Lunar scientists have for decades contended with the possibility of water repositories. They are now increasingly “confident that the decades-long debate is over,” the report says. “The moon, in fact, has water in all sorts of places; not just locked up in minerals, but scattered throughout the broken-up surface, and, potentially, in blocks or sheets of ice at depth.” The results from the NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter are also “offering a wide array of watery signals.”

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:taz: to those who say Chandrayaan is failure

Any neutral sources because soon we are going to see the demand for it.....
 
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ISRO launches Oceansat, six European satellites

Sriharikota: Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C14), carrying India's ocean monitoring satellite Oceansat-2 and six European nano satellites, blasted off from the SHAR Range at 1151 hrs IST at Sriharikota on Wednesday.

The 44.4 metre tall, four-stage 230-tonne PSLV of the ISRO, took off without its six strap-on motors as all the seven satellites put together weighed less than 1000 kg.

The launch is ISRO's first major satellite launch since Chandrayaan 1.

The Oceansat-2 is ISRO's second in the series of Indian Remote Sensing satellites dedicated to ocean research. The satellite will provide continuity to the applications of Oceansat-1, which was launched in 1999.

Oceansat-2 weighs 960kgs and is carrying two devices: the Ocean Colour Monitor and a Microwave Scatterometer, which help in tracking the onset of monsoon by measuring the wind speed over the surface of the ocean.

All data gathered will be made available to the global scientific community in six months.


ISRO launches Oceansat, six European satellites
 
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ISRO launches Oceansat, six European satellites


Oceansat-2 weighs 960kgs and is carrying two devices: the Ocean Colour Monitor and a Microwave Scatterometer, which help in tracking the onset of monsoon by measuring the wind speed over the surface of the ocean.
All data gathered will be made available to the global scientific community in six months.


ISRO launches Oceansat, six European satellites


Next time responsible babu should be kicked out if they fail to predict the monsoon...:hang2:
 
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ISRO rocks. I hope DRDO learns some work ethics from ISRO.
 
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India launches seven satellites


India has successfully launched seven satellites in a single mission, nearly a month after the country's inaugural Moon mission was aborted.

The rocket was carrying an Indian remote-sensing satellite and six smaller ones, all of them foreign.

The Indian satellite will help spot fishing zones in the sea by monitoring ocean temperatures.

Observers say India is emerging as a major player in the multi-billion dollar space market.

Wednesday's launch, from the Sriharikota space centre off India's east coast, is being described as another milestone for the country's 46-year-old space programme.

This is the 16th mission for India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) - a seven-storey-high, 230 tonne rocket.

A spokesman for state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) S Satish told the BBC that the Indian satellite Oceansat-2 is carrying a new instrument which can measure wind speed over the surface of the ocean. He said the device will help track monsoons and cyclones.

The rocket is also carrying six smaller satellites from Germany, Switzerland and Turkey.

Wednesday's launch came as a boost to India's space scientists after the country terminated its inaugural Moon mission last month.

Despite the termination of the mission, Isro chief G Madhavan Nair said that the project was a great success and 95% of its objectives had been completed.

Last year India successfully launched 10 satellites in a single mission, boosting its capabilities in space.

The country started its space programme in 1963, and has since designed, built and launched its own satellites into space.

In 2007, India put an Italian satellite into orbit for a fee of $11m. In January 2008, India successfully launched an Israeli spy satellite into orbit.

Correspondents say that the country is developing its rocket-launching capabilities to reduce its dependence on foreign space agencies, as well as to corner a share of the world's lucrative satellite-launching market.

BBC NEWS | South Asia | India launches seven satellites
 
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Water discovered on moon?: “A lot of it actually”


Divya Gandhi

BANGALORE: Speculation is rife among space scientists that the quest for water on the moon may have reached a climactic end with the discovery of “a lot of water” by an instrument on board Chandrayaan-I.

A report by the online space news portal, Space Ref, says this discovery, made by the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) on board the Indian mission, will be the subject of a press conference, to be addressed by Carle Pieters, planetary geologist and principal investigator of the instrument, at the NASA headquarters on Thursday.

The Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3), an imaging spectrometer, was one of the 11 instruments on board Chandrayaan-I that came to a premature end on August 29. M3 was aimed at providing the first mineral map of the entire lunar surface.

Hinting at this exciting development, a recent report published by Nature News says: “Results soon to be published… will show detailed spectra confirming that, indeed, the polar regions of the moon are chockfull of water-altered minerals.”

Lunar scientists have for decades contended with the possibility of water repositories. They are now increasingly “confident that the decades-long debate is over,” the report says. “The moon, in fact, has water in all sorts of places; not just locked up in minerals, but scattered throughout the broken-up surface, and, potentially, in blocks or sheets of ice at depth.” The results from the NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter are also “offering a wide array of watery signals.”
 
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NASA Expected To Reveal Moon Mineral Mapper Shows A Lot Of Water On The Moon

Water on the moon should be used to supply fuel for fuel depots in space to enable colonization and lower cost access to space.

Reliable sources report that there will be a press conference at NASA HQ at 2:00 pm this Thursday featuring lunar scientist Carle Pieters from Brown University.

The topic of the press briefing will be a paper that will appear in this week's issue of Science magazine wherein results from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) aboard Chandrayaan-1 will be revealed. The take home message: there is a lot of water on the Moon. Stay tuned. (H/T Transterrestrial) Water can exist at the lunar poles in the form of ice and could exist further underground in other locations. We will find out on Thursday on the particulars.


The Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) is one of two instruments that NASA is contributing to India's first mission to the Moon, Chandrayaan-1 (meaning "Lunar Craft" in ancient Sanskrit), which launched on October 22, 2008. M3 is a state-of-the-art imaging spectrometer that will provide the first map of the entire lunar surface at high spatial and spectral resolution, revealing the minerals of which it is made.

:cheers:Lets wait for Thursday.:bounce:

NASA Expected to Reveal Moon Mineral Mapper Shows A Lot of Water on the Moon
 
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