Chandrayaan:India’s first moon mission

1

By: Sushil Parti

WHY GO TO MOON????? THE FIRST, OF COURSE, THE SCIENTIFIC GOALS

THAT DESPITE MANY MISSIONS OF THE PAST, THE QUESTION OF ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF MOON STILL REMAINS UNANSWERED.

SPACE PROGRAMME FOR LUNAR EXPLORATION WAS UNDERTAKEN AS EARLY AS 1959. SEVERAL LUNAR EXPLORATORY MISSIONS SINCE THEN HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED AND IT WAS NOW INDIA’S TURN TO SHOW THEM WHAT POTENTIAL WE HAVE. INDIA CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE OUT IN ITS ABILITY TO PURSUE EXPLORATION.

2

WHY GO TO MOON??(Contd.) APART FROM THESE POLITICAL AND SCIENTIFICAL MOON

COULD HAVE ECONOMIC BENEFITS FOR MANKIND AND COULD BE OF ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE: 1. THE MOON’S SURFACE IS BELIVED TO HAVE ABOUT ONE MILLION TONNES OF HELIUM-3.

2. MOON CONTAINS 10 TIMES MORE ENERGY IN HELIUM-3 THAN ALL THE FOSSIL FUELS ON EARTH. 3.HELIUM-3 IS BELIEVED TO BE FUEL OF THE FUTURE AS IT IS POLLUTION FREE AND PRODUCES LARGE AMOUNT OF ENERGY.

OUTPOST FOR FURTHER PLANETARY EXPLORATIONS AND POSSIBLE HUMAN SETTLEMENTS.

3

INTRODUCTION THE WORD CHANDRAYAAN – 1 IS DERIVED FROM A

SANSKRIT WORD LITEARLLY MEANING MOON VECHILE.

IT IS INDIA’S FIRST MISSION TO MOON DEVOLPED BY ISRO (INDIAN SPACE RESARCH ORGANISATION).

THE MISSION INCLUDES A LUNAR ORBITER AND AN IMPACTOR.

IT WAS LAUNCHED ON 22 OCTOBER 2008 WITH HELP OF A MODIFIED VERSION OF PSLV XL FROM SATISH DHAWAN SPACE CENTRE, SRIHARIKOTA, ANDHRA PRADESH AT 6:23 IST.

ESTIMATED COST - RS 386 CRORE (US$ 80 MILLION)

4

HISTORY THE IDEA OF UNDERTAKING AN INDIAN SCIENTIFIC

MISSION TO MOON WAS INITIALLY MOOTED IN A MEETING OF THE INDIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES IN 1999 THAT WAS FOLLOWED UP BY DISCUSSIONS IN THE ASTRONAUTICAL SOCIETY OF INDIA IN 2000.

A NATIONAL LUNAR MISSION TASK FORCE WAS CONSTITUTED BY THE INDIAN SPACE RESEARCH ORGANISATION (ISRO) PROVIDED AN ASSESSMENT ON THE FEASIBILITY OF AN INDIAN MISSION TO THE MOON AS WELL AS DWELT ON THE FOCUS OF SUCH A MISSION AND ITS POSSIBLE CONFIGURATION.

5

THE STUDY REPORT OF THE TASK TEAM WAS DISCUSSED IN APRIL 2003 BY A PEER GROUP OF ABOUT 100 EMINENT INDIAN SCIENTISTS,WHO AFTER DETAILED DISCUSSIONS RECOMMENDED THAT INDIA SHOULD UNDERTAKE THE MISSION TO MOON.

THEREFORE, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA APPROVED ISRO'S PROPOSAL FOR THE FIRST INDIAN MOON MISSION, CALLED CHANDRAYAAN-1 IN NOVEMBER 2003.

6

7

Objectives of the Chandrayaan-1Mission

¥ SIMULTANEOUS MINERALOGICAL, CHEMICAL & PHOTO-GEOLOGICAL MAPPING AT RESOLUTIONS BETTER THAN PREVIOUS AND CURRENTLY PLANNED LUNAR MISSIONS.

¥ HIGH RESOLUTION MAPPING OF THE LUNAR SURFACE TO IDENTIFY FE, AL, MG, TI BEARING MINERAL WITH HIGH SPATIAL RESOLUTION (100M).

¥ HIGH RESOLUTION LASER RANGING FOR TOPOGRAPHICAL MAP OF THE MOON (~0.1 DEG LONGITUDINAL SEPARATION GRIDS).

8

OBJECTIVES OF THE CHANDRAYAAN -1 MISSION (Contd.)

9

¥ 3D MAPPING OF LUNAR SURFACE AT VERY HIGH SPATIAL RESOLUTION (~5 M).

¥ CREATE EXPERTISE & MOTIVATE THE YOUNG MINDS IN SPACE AND PLANETARY SCIENCE.

SPECIFICATIONS:

MASS:

1380 KG AT LAUNCH, 675 KG AT LUNAR ORBIT, AND 523 KG AFTER RELEASING THE IMPACTOR.

DIMENSIONS:

CUBOID IN SHAPE OF APPROXIMATELY 1.5M. POWER:

MAINLY POWERED BY ITS SOLAR ARRAY, WHICH INCLUDES ONE SOLAR PANEL COVERING A TOTAL AREA OF 2.15 X 1.8 M GENERATING 700 W OF POWER, STORED IN A 36 A-H LITHIUM-ION BATTERY.USES A BIPROPELLANT INTEGRATED PROPULSION SYSTEM.

10

IT HAS THREE SOLID STATE RECORDERS (SSRS) ONBOARD TO RECORD DATA FROM VARIOUS PAYLOADS.

SSR-1 WILL STORE SCIENCE PAYLOAD DATA AND HAS CAPABILITY OF STORING 32GB DATA.

SSR-2 WILL STORE SCIENCE PAYLOAD DATA ALONG WITH SPACECRAFT ATTITUDE INFORMATION (GYRO AND STAR SENSOR), SATELLITE HOUSE KEEPING AND OTHER AUXILIARY DATA. THE STORING CAPACITY OF SSR-2 IS 8GB.

M3 (MOON MINERALOGY MAPPER) PAYLOAD HAS AN INDEPENDENT SSR WITH 10GB CAPACITY.

11

PAYLOADS THE SCIENTIFIC PAYLOAD HAS A TOTAL MASS OF 90

KG AND CONTAINS FIVE INDIAN AND SIX FOREIGN INSTRUMENTS.

INDIAN PAYLOADS 1.TERRAIN MAPPING CAMERA 2. HYPER SPECTRAL IMAGER 3.LUNAR LASER RANGING INSTRUMENT 4.HIGH ENERGY X-RAY PAYLOAD 5. MOON IMPACT PROBE

12

FOREIGN PAYLOADS

1. LOW ENERGY X- RAY PAYLOAD –> UK/ESA

2. MINI SAR –> NASA 3. SIR- 2 -> GERMANY/ESA 4. RADIATION DOSE MONITOR-> BULGARIA

5.MOON MINERALOGY MAPPER -> NASA 6.SARA -> JOINT VENTURE OF INDIA,

JAPAN AND ESA.

13

14

15

HYPER SPECTRAL IMAGER

TERRAIN MAPPING CAMERA

16

HIGH ENERGY X-RAY SPECRTOMETER

X-RAY FLUORESENCE SPECTROMETER

SPACE FLIGHT OF CHANDRAYAAN

SINCE ITS LAUNCH ON 22 OCTOBER 2008 AT 6:22 IST CHANDRAYAAN PERFORMED SEVERAL ENGINE BURNS TO REACH GTO(GEOSTATIONARY TRANSFER ORBIT) AROUND EARTH.

ONCE IN GTO CHANDRAYAAN’S ON BOARD MOTOR WAS FIRED TO INCREASE ITS ORBIT AROUND EARTH.THE ORBIT WAS RAISED FIVE TIMES TO PLACE THE SPACECRAFT IN VICINITY OF MOON’S ORBIT.

THEN THE ENGINE BURNS PLACED IT IN 100 KM ORBIT OF MOON, AFTER WHICH MOON IMPACT PROBE WAS FIRED ON LUNAR SURFACE.

17

18

MOON - IMPACT PROBE (MIP)

MOON IMPACT PROBE IS AN IMPACT PROBE WEIGHING 34 KG’S DEVOLPED BY ISRO .

IT CARRIED THREE INSTRUMENTS – A VIDEO IMAGING SYSTEM, MASS SPECTROMETER, RADAR ALTIMETER.

THE MIP CRASH LANDED ON LUNAR SURFACE ON 14 NOVEMBER 2008, 20:31 IST NEAR SHACKELTON CRATER AT SOUTH POLE.

MIP PLACED INDIAN FLAG ON LUNAR SURFACE. THE INDIAN FLAG WAS PAINTED ON THE SIDES OF MIP. THIS IS FIRST INDIAN BUILT OBJECT TO REACH

SURFACE OF MOON.

19

MOON IMPACT PROBE(Contd.)

WITH THE SUCCESS OF MIP INDIA HAS SUCCESFULLY PLACED HER FLAG ON MOON WHICH IS ALREADY HAVING FLAGS OF USA, RUSSIA AND ESA(EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY) COMPRISING OF 17 NATIONS

20

Ground Segment COMPRISES OF THREE MAJOR ELEMENTS : INDIAN DEEP SPACE NETWORK(IDSN). MISSION OPERATIONS COMPLEX(MOX). INDIAN SPACE SCIENCE DATA

CENTRE(ISSDC). IT ENSURES THE SUCCESS OF THE MISSION BY

PROVIDING TO AND FRO CONDUIT OF COMMUNICATION, SECURING GOOD HEALTH OF THE SPACECRAFT, MAINTAINING THE ORBIT AND ATTITUDE TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE MISSION AND CONDUCTING PAYLOAD OPERATIONS.

21

Ground Segment(CONTD.)

THE GROUND SEGMENT IS ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING THE SCIENCE DATA AVAILABLE FOR THE PAYLOAD SCIENTISTS ALONG WITH AUXILIARY INFORMATION, IN ADDITION TO ARCHIVING OF PAYLOAD AND SPACECRAFT DATA. PAYLOAD OPERATION CENTRES (POCS) ALSO FORM A PART OF THE GROUND SEGMENT.

22

FIRST PICTURES SENT BY CHANDRAYAAN

23

24

FUTURE MISSIONS

CHANDRAYAAN – 2 AFTER THE SUCCESS OF CHANDRYAAN-1 ISRO IS

PLANNING TO LAUNCH CHANDRAYAAN –II HOPING TO LAND A MOTORISED ROVER OVER LUNAR SURFACE IN 2010.

THE ROVER WILL COLLECT SOIL SAMPLES ,DO IN SITE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS AND SEND DATA TO BASE STATION ON EARTH THROUGH CHANDRAYAAN-2 ORBITING AROUND EARTH.

25

SOLAR MISSION – ADITYA

ISRO HAS ALSO CONCEPTUALLY DEVOLPED A SUN MISSION “ADITYA” WHICH HAS BEEN APPROVED BY GOVERNMENT .

ACC. TO THE CHAIRMAN OF ISRO G.MADHVAN NAIR “THE SUCCESS OF CHANDRAYAAN-I HAS BOOSTED UP THE CONFIDENCE OF ISRO SCIENTISTS TO LOOK BEYOND MOON”.

26

CRITICISM EVERY YEAR INDIA POURS 65 BILLION RUPEES INTO

HER SPACE PROGRAMME.

WHAT IS A COUNTRY WITH A HUGE PUBLIC DEBT DOING WITH A SPACE PROGRAMME?

HOW MANY POOR PEOPLE COULD LEAD A BETTER LIFE IF THIS MONEY HAD BEEN PUT TO USE FOR THEIR GOOD?

27

28

YES, POURING MORE MONEY INTO THE DEVELOPMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND ELIMINATION OF POVERTY IS DEFINITELY REQUIRED, AND RIGHTLY DESERVES PRIORITY – HOWEVER, INDIA CANNOT AFFORD TO WASTE THE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN THE WORLD OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY THAT IT CURRENTLY HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEIZE.

WIDER ROADS AND LESS CONGESTION ARE NOT GOING TO BE REASONS FOR PEOPLE TO CONTINUE TO LIVE IN INDIA.

CONSEQUENCES

29

A PROJECT LIKE CHANDRAYAAN HAS CONSEQUENCES FAR BEYOND THE OBVIOUS SCIENTIFIC ONES.IT WILL INSPIRE MILLIONS OF STUDENTS TO BECOME A PART OF OUR COUNTRY’S OWN SPACE PROGRAMME. IT WILL INSPIRE ALL THE INDIANS WORKING IN VARIOUS FOREIGN SPACE AGENCIES THAT THEY HAVE AN ALTERNATIVE TO WORK IN INDIA.INDIA MAY BE SEEN AS A VIABLE TECHNOLOGICAL PARTNER AND CAN POSITION ITSELF TO BE THE DESTINATION FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.

CONSEQUENCES(CONTD.)

OBVIOUSLY, A SINGLE SPACE MISSION CANNOT BRING ABOUT THIS SEA OF CHANGE. ISRO HAS AMBITIOUS PLANS FOR ITS FUTURE, AND SEVERAL COUNTRIES WILL BE OBSERVING ITS PROGRESS WITH INTEREST.

CHANDRAYAAN MIGHT MARK THE END OF AN ERA - THE TIME WHEN INDIA SEEMED TO HAVE TO MAKE DO WITH MEDIOCRITY. HOPEFULLY, IT WILL SIGNAL A PERIOD OF TIME IN WHICH WE SETTLE FOR NOTHING LESS THAN EXCELLENCE.

30

CONCLUSION THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF IMPRESSIVE MOMENTS

IN INDIA’S DEMOCRATIC HISTORY THAT HAVE INSPIRED MILLIONS TO TAKE PRIDE IN OUR COUNTRY. THE FIRST NUCLEAR TEST IN 1974, WINNING THE CRICKET WORLD CUP IN 1983, OUR VICTORIES ON THE BATTLEFIELD AGAINST AGGRESSIVE NEIGHBOURS, AND CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE IN 1997 ALL COME TO MIND. NOW WE HAVE ONE MORE MOMENT TO ADD TO THAT LIST.

THE SUCCESS OF CHANDRAYAAN, INDIA’S INDIGENOUSLY DEVELOPED MISSION TO THE MOON, IS ONE THAT STANDS HIGH IN THE OUR LIST OF ACHIEVEMENTS. HOPEFULLY, IT WILL BE ONE THAT SIGNALS RADICAL CHANGE IN THE MANNER IN WHICH INDIA IS PERCEIVED INTERNATIONALLY.

31

32

33