2023-08-30 16:59:06
A few days after the Indian moon probe “Chandrayaan-3” landed on the south side of the moon, the rover “Pragyan” took the first measurements on the moon’s surface. The six-wheeled vehicle was able to demonstrate the occurrence of various elements, including sulphur, on the South Pole and confirm findings from earlier moon missions.
The Indian lunar rover is exploring this crater on the moon’s south oil. : Image: AP/ISRO
“The on-site measurements clearly show the presence of sulfur in the region,” said the Indian space agency ISRO in a press release on Wednesday. With space probes stationed in the lunar orbit, such clear evidence has not been possible so far.
The Indian robot examines the chemical composition of the lunar surface using the method of laser-induced plasma spectroscopy (LIBS), which is also used by NASA’s Curiosity rover on Mars. With LIBS, high-energy laser pulses are focused on the rock to be examined.
The irradiated material vaporizes and an extremely hot plasma is created. The light emitted by the plasma is captured and analyzed by detectors. The wavelengths measured provide information about the elemental composition of the evaporated material.
According to ISRO, the first analyzes also confirmed the presence of aluminum, calcium, iron, chromium and titanium on the moon. The elements manganese, silicon and oxygen were also registered in further measurements. According to ISRO, the detection of hydrogen is in progress.
The six-wheeled lunar rover is to measure the region at the south pole of the moon, which has so far hardly been examined, for two weeks and transmit photos and scientific data.
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The Indian probe Chandrayaan-3 landed on the moon on Wednesday last week. This makes India the fourth space-faring nation after the United States, the former Soviet Union and China to successfully land a probe on the moon. The subcontinent has been investing heavily in its space program for years. Next year the first manned Indian rocket is to be launched into space.
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