Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander detects seismic event on the Moon, investigates ISRO
In an intriguing development, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) announced on Thursday that the Vikram lander of its Chandrayaan-3 mission has detected what appears to be a “natural” seismic event on the Moon. The agency noted that a specific payload from the lander, known as the Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA), was the star of the show.
ILSA not only captured the routine operations and movements of the rover and other payloads; captured something much more exciting. On August 26, 2023, ILSA recorded an event that ISRO believes to be a natural occurrence. The origin of this mysterious event is now the subject of an ongoing investigation.
As the Indian space agency deepens its understanding of the cause of this lunar seismic activity, both the scientific community and space enthusiasts are waiting with bated breath for more updates.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission: In situ scientific experiments
The Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) payload on Chandrayaan 3 Lander, the first instrument based on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology on the Moon, has recorded the movements of the Rover and other… pic.twitter.com/Sjd5K14hPl
-ISRO (@isro) August 31, 2023
ISRO shares key findings from Chandrayaan-3 mission: seismic activity and lunar plasma measurements.
ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) continues to make headlines with its Chandrayaan-3 mission, and its latest updates are no less exciting. On Thursday, ISRO got into the nitty-gritty of what the Vikram lander’s Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) is designed to do. His main job? Measure ground vibrations caused by natural earthquakes, impacts and even man-made events on the Moon.
The space agency went a step further by sharing a graphic on X (formerly known as Twitter) to illustrate this. The graph shows the vibrations that ILSA recorded as the rover moved on August 25. But that’s not all: the chart also includes an unexpected signal, an apparently natural event recorded on August 26, 2023, which is now under investigation.
But wait, there is more. ISRO also released some news about another payload on the Vikram lander – RAMBHA-LP. You have achieved something innovative. For the first time, RAMBHA-LP has measured the near-surface lunar plasma environment over the Moon’s south polar region. Initial findings suggest that the plasma near the lunar surface is relatively thin.
As ISRO delves deeper into these fascinating findings, both the scientific community and space enthusiasts around the world are eager for more updates. One thing is for sure: Chandrayaan-3 is far from done revealing the secrets of the Moon.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission: On-Site Science Experiments
Another instrument on board the Rover confirms the presence of Sulfur (S) in the region, using another technique.
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectroscope (APXS) has detected S, as well as other minor elements.
This… pic.twitter.com/lkZtz7IVSY
-ISRO (@isro) August 31, 2023
The Chandrayaan-3 rover is digging into the soil of the Moon and what it is finding is fascinating.
ISRO is not limited to studies of lunar plasma and seismic activity. In another intriguing update, the Indian space agency turned attention to another payload of the rover: the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer (APXS). This handy instrument has been hard at work, analyzing the Moon’s soil and rocks to find out what they’re made of.
But guess that? APXS is finding more than just the usual suspects like aluminum, silicon, calcium and iron. The presence of some rather interesting minor elements has also been discovered: sulfur, to be exact.
As ISRO continues to analyze these new findings, we can’t help but be enthralled by what else Chandrayaan-3 could uncover. With each new revelation, it becomes clear that the Moon still has many secrets waiting to be discovered.
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Categories: Technology
Source: vtt.edu.vn