2023-08-29 16:56:46
Image of the lunar south pole region taken by the Indian rover Pragyan – ISRO
MADRID, 29 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Pragyan rover of the Indian lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 has carried out the first in situ measurements of the elemental composition of the lunar surface near the south pole.
These in situ measurements –obtained with a laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument– unambiguously confirm the presence of sulfur in the region, something that was not feasible with the instruments aboard the orbitersreports the Indian space agency it’s a statement.
According to a previous studysulfur in lunar volcanic rocks is a fingerprint of the presence of iron sulfide in the rocky interior of the moon, which is where the precious metals are believed to have been when the lavas were created on the earth’s natural satellite.
LIBS is a scientific technique that analyzes 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 rock or soil. The laser pulse generates an extremely hot and localized plasma. The collected plasma light is spectrally resolved and detected by detectors such as charge-coupled devices.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
In-situ scientific experiments continue …..
Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) instrument onboard the Rover unambiguously confirms the presence of Sulphur (S) in the lunar surface near the south pole, through first-ever in-situ measurements.… pic.twitter.com/vDQmByWcSL
— ISRO (@isro) August 29, 2023
Since each element emits a characteristic set of wavelengths of light when in the plasma state, the elemental composition of the material is determined.
Preliminary analyzes, represented graphically, have revealed the presence of aluminum (Al), sulfur (S), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), chromium (Cr) and titanium (Ti) on the lunar surface. Other measurements have revealed the presence of manganese (Mn), silicon (Si) and oxygen (O). A thorough investigation into the presence of hydrogen is underway.
The LIBS payload is developed at the Laboratory of Electro-Optical Systems (LEOS)/ISRO, Bengaluru.
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