Chandrayaan-1 to hit lunar surface today

NI Wire

New Delhi

Fri, 14 Nov 2008: 

We the Indian would get a chance to feel proud once again today evening at 8:30 pm when Moon Impact Probe (MIP) – the device inbuilt with three instruments: radar altimeter, video imaging system and mass spectrometer – that is riding piggyback on the Chandrayaan-1 will free fall onto the lunar surface.

Informing about the completion of Chandryaan-I’s journey, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman G Madhvan Nair on Thursday said that Chandrayaan-1 would drop a one and a half foot long probe onto the lunar surface.

“The probe will fly over the Malarpet Mountain on the lunar surface and fall into a 19 km long crater near the moon's south pole and it's all going to be recorded on video for us to see,” he said.

‘MIP will be detached 100 km above flying board at 8:03 or 8:04 pm and would take about 25 minutes to touch the lunar surface by free falling,’ said ISRO spokesperson S Satish.

The 375 mm x 375 mm x 470 mm honeycomb structured MIP is 35 kg in weight and coloured with Indian tricolour- Saffron, White and green. A Sanskrit Sloka (verse) is written on one side of the MIP, ISRO official said.

After flying the Indian tricolour on the lunar surface, MIP will create a history of being the only fourth nation after USA, Russia and European Union in flying national flag on the moon surface.

The idea behind flying the tricolour on the moon was of former president and legend space scientist A P J Abdul Kalam, who had suggested the ISRO scientists in an International Lunar Exploration Working Group conference held at Udaipur in November 2004.

The MIP will send the still and digital video graphic pictures to the ISRO scientists that will be used for analysing the surface of the Moon, only natural satellite of our Earth. “The unmanned Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft will map the moon to get an idea about the minerals present there, which is of prime importance,” said ISRO official.

After reaching to the inner orbit of lunar, Chandrayan- 1 will be revolving it at a distance of 100 km from the lunar surface till 2 years, an ISRO official informed.

ISRO is also preparing to send another Indian satellite Chandrayaan–2 by 2012, and the preparation about it is at an advanced stage. “ Chandrayaan-2 would be launched in 2012-13. It would have a small robot that would pick up lunar samples, analyse them and send the data back,” said Nair.