Scientists the world over have detailed maps of Mars but not of the moon.
Chandrayaan-I, India's maiden moon mission, is carrying 11 instruments that will help prepare comprehensive maps of the earth's only natural satellite -- the moon.
Chandrayaan lifts off successfully
The maps could be of immense help when Indian Space Research Organisation and other space agencies plan to land spacecraft on the lunar surface or plan to use the moon as a base for future interplanetary missions.
Chandrayaan-I is carrying an Indian flag which will be placed on the lunar surface when the Moon Impactor Probe (MIP) lands on the moon during the course of the two-year mission.
Of the 11 instruments carried by the satellite, five are Indian, three are from the European Space Agency, two from the US -- including a radar that can search for ice under lunar poles -- and one from Bulgaria.
Among ISRO's five experiments is the Moon Impact Probe which will detach from the spacecraft once it begins orbiting the moon and crash onto the lunar surface.
The MIP may not survive the fall but will demonstrate technologies for a future soft-landing mission. During its crash on the lunar surface, the MIP will send high resolution images of the moon and also analyse its terrain.
Indian scientists have equipped Chandrayaan-I with a Terrain Mapping stereo Camera (TMC) which will map the topography in both near and far side of the moon.
The data will help prepare a 3-dimensional atlas with high spatial and altitude resolution which will help understand the evolution process and also allow detailed study of regions of scientific interests.
Besides the 3-D mapping, another ISRO payload Hyper Spectral Imaging camera (HySI) will gather spectroscopic data for mineralogical mapping of the lunar surface.
The data from this instrument will help in improving the available information on mineral composition of the lunar surface.
The study of data in deep crater regions/central peaks, which represents lower crust or upper mantle material, will help in understanding the mineralogical composition of moon's interior.
The Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument (LLRI) developed by ISRO will help in determining the accurate altitude of the spacecraft above the lunar surface, determine the global topographical field of the moon.
It will also help obtain an improved model for the lunar gravity field and supplement the data from terrain mapping camera and hyper-spectral imager payloads.
Such information is fundamental to our understanding of planetary thermal history.
Developed indigenously, the High Energy X-ray spectrometer (HEX) will carry out first ever experiments on the lunar surface that will help scientists find out whether water ever existed in the polar regions of the moon.
Among the international experiments, the Chandrayaan-1 X-ray Spectrometer (C1XS) of the European Space Agency (ESA) will carry out high quality X-ray spectroscopic mapping of the moon, to find answers to key questions on the origin and evolution of the moon.
C1XS is realised through ESA with collaboration between Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK and ISRO Satellite Centre, ISRO.
The Near Infra Red spectrometer (SIR-2), developed by the Max Planck Institute of Germany, will survey lunar mineral resources for future landing sites and exploration.
It will also help determine the chemical composition of the planet's crust and mantle.
The Sub KeV Atom Reflecting Analyser (SARA), a joint experiment of ESA and ISRO, will image the Moon's surface composition including the permanently shadowed areas and volatile rich areas.
The Radiation Dose Monitor Experiment (RADOM) of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences will help evaluate the radiation environment and radiation shielding requirements for future manned Moon missions.
Radiation exposure of crew members on future manned space flight has been recognised as an important factor in the planning and design of such missions.
The general purpose of the present proposition is to study the radiation hazards during the Moon exploration through the Chandrayaan-1 mission.
The Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar (MiniSAR) of NASA will look for water ice in the permanently shadowed regions on the lunar poles up to a depth of a few meters.
Mini-SAR is a onboard radar mapper that will allow viewing of all permanently shadowed areas on the Moon, regardless of whether sunlight is available or the angle is not satisfactory.
The Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3), another NASA experiment will map lunar surface mineralogy in the context of lunar geologic evolution.
The primary exploration goal is to assess and map lunar mineral resources at high spatial resolution to support planning for future, targeted missions.
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