India’s Moon Rover Unveils Elemental Riches: Sulfur and More Detected Near South Pole
At the lunar south pole, where it is looking for evidence of frozen water over a week after India’s historic moon landing, the moon rover has confirmed the presence of sulfur and found a number of other elements, according to India’s space agency.
The Indian Space Research Organization, or ISRO, reported in a post on its website that the laser-induced spectroscope instrument of the rover also found aluminum, iron, calcium, chromium, titanium, manganese, oxygen, and silicon on the lunar surface.
After touching down last Wednesday near the south pole of the moon, India’s spacecraft’s lunar rover descended a ramp from the lander. According to the ISRO, the Chandrayaan-3 Rover will undertake tests for 14 days.
According to ISRO, the rover “unambiguously confirms the presence of sulfur.” Also, it is looking for any indications of frozen water that would be useful for making rocket fuel or serving as a potential source of drinking water for upcoming astronaut trips.
According to ISRO Chairman S. Somnath, the rover will also investigate the moon’s atmosphere and seismic activities. When the rover approached a crater that was 4 meters broad (13 feet wide) on Monday, the rover’s course was reset. “It’s now safely heading on a new path.” according to the ISRO.
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India’s Lunar Achievement
To reduce shock and damage to the vehicle from the lunar surface’s rugged terrain, the ship travels at a sluggish pace of about 10 centimeters (4 inches) per second. India last week became just the fourth nation to accomplish this feat after the United States, the Soviet Union, and China all failed to land on the moon in 2019.
The trip’s success aligns with the image that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is aiming to present: an emerging nation carving out a position for itself among the elite of the globe. It also symbolizes India’s rising supremacy in both space and technology.
The mission, which is expected to cost $75 million, started more than a month ago. The Russian Luna-25, which was headed for the same lunar region, spun into an uncontrolled orbit and crashed just days before India’s accomplishment.
It would have been Russia’s first successful lunar landing after a 47-year break. The chairman of Russia’s state-run space enterprise Roscosmos blamed the failure on a lack of experience brought on by the lengthy hiatus in lunar exploration that followed the final Soviet moon landing in 1976.
India has been launching satellites since the 1960s, and in 2014 it was successful in placing one in orbit around Mars. Along with the United States, India is organizing its maiden trip to the International Space Station for the next year.
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Source: ABC News
