• Latest
  • Trending
India’s Moon Mission Was Anything But A Failure. Here’s Why

India’s Moon Mission Was Anything But A Failure. Here’s Why

September 10, 2019
Tiger completes ‘longest walk ever’ across India

Tiger completes ‘longest walk ever’ across India

December 3, 2019
Navy expels suspected Chinese spy vessel from Indian waters

Navy expels suspected Chinese spy vessel from Indian waters

December 3, 2019
Chandrayaan-2: Indian helps Nasa find Moon probe debris

Chandrayaan-2: Indian helps Nasa find Moon probe debris

December 3, 2019
Billionaire Says Companies Fear Criticizing India Government

Billionaire Says Companies Fear Criticizing India Government

December 2, 2019
India, Japan Hold Inaugural Security Talks

India, Japan Hold Inaugural Security Talks

December 2, 2019
Why India is staring at a middle-income trap

Why India is staring at a middle-income trap

December 2, 2019
China arrests Belizean, Taiwanese over alleged meddling in Hong Kong affairs

China arrests Belizean, Taiwanese over alleged meddling in Hong Kong affairs

December 1, 2019
Kartarpur corridor Gen Bajwa’s brainchild, India will remember this wound forever

Kartarpur corridor Gen Bajwa’s brainchild, India will remember this wound forever

December 1, 2019
Protests in India over Telangana vet’s suspected rape, murder

Protests in India over Telangana vet’s suspected rape, murder

December 1, 2019
The biggest challenge for forwarders in India is getting cargo through the airports

The biggest challenge for forwarders in India is getting cargo through the airports

November 29, 2019
Indian retailer Future’s shares surge as regulator approves Amazon investment

Indian retailer Future’s shares surge as regulator approves Amazon investment

November 29, 2019
Russia’s Taymyr plan: Arctic coal for India risks pollution

Russia’s Taymyr plan: Arctic coal for India risks pollution

November 29, 2019
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Voice of India
No Result
View All Result
  • India News
    • Congress
    • Kashmir
    • Politics
  • Asia
    • China
    • Hong Kong
    • Japan
    • North Korea
    • Oceania
    • Pakistan
    • South Korea
    • Southeast Asia
  • World
    • Africa
    • Canada
    • Europe
    • Latin America
    • Middle East
      • Iraq
      • Israel
      • Jordan
      • Syria
    • Russia
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
  • National Security
    • Cyber Security
    • Military
    • Terrorism
      • ISIS
  • Economy
    • Business
    • Stock Market
    • Science
    • Technology
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Bollywood
    • Books & Literature
    • Food & Drink
    • Health
    • History
    • Lifestyle
    • Movies & TV
    • Music
    • Privacy
    • Religion
    • Travel
    • Women & Children
  • Environment
    • Climate Change
    • Disaster
    • Wildlife / Endangered Species
  • Sports
    • Cricket
    • Auto Racing
    • Cycling
    • Football
    • Golf
    • Olympics
    • Tennis
    • Water Sports
  • India News
    • Congress
    • Kashmir
    • Politics
  • Asia
    • China
    • Hong Kong
    • Japan
    • North Korea
    • Oceania
    • Pakistan
    • South Korea
    • Southeast Asia
  • World
    • Africa
    • Canada
    • Europe
    • Latin America
    • Middle East
      • Iraq
      • Israel
      • Jordan
      • Syria
    • Russia
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
  • National Security
    • Cyber Security
    • Military
    • Terrorism
      • ISIS
  • Economy
    • Business
    • Stock Market
    • Science
    • Technology
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Bollywood
    • Books & Literature
    • Food & Drink
    • Health
    • History
    • Lifestyle
    • Movies & TV
    • Music
    • Privacy
    • Religion
    • Travel
    • Women & Children
  • Environment
    • Climate Change
    • Disaster
    • Wildlife / Endangered Species
  • Sports
    • Cricket
    • Auto Racing
    • Cycling
    • Football
    • Golf
    • Olympics
    • Tennis
    • Water Sports
No Result
View All Result
Voice of India
No Result
View All Result

India’s Moon Mission Was Anything But A Failure. Here’s Why

September 10, 2019
in Featured, India, India News, News
0
Home Featured
Post Views: 19

 

Space is hard.

That simple sentiment, bursting with painful verisimilitude, was the order of the day when the Indian Space Research Organisation’s attempted, historic soft landing of its uncrewed contraption near the moon’s south pole went awry. Things were initially looking good for the Vikram lander – and its internalised exploratory rover, Pragyan – for some time, before the descent went off course during its final moments. Due to land on the lunar surface around a month after it was launched into space, technicians instead lost contact with it seconds before it was supposed to touch down in the dusty, unexplored regolith.

The antagonists behind the failed landing remain under investigation, and as of now remain inconclusive. The lander itself may not be totally lost; spotted from orbit, it appears to have remained in one piece. It has tipped onto its side, though, and attempts to communicate with it have so far been unsuccessful.

RelatedPosts

Tiger completes ‘longest walk ever’ across India

Navy expels suspected Chinese spy vessel from Indian waters

Chandrayaan-2: Indian helps Nasa find Moon probe debris

Billionaire Says Companies Fear Criticizing India Government

India, Japan Hold Inaugural Security Talks

It certainly seems like a time to mourn the loss of a nearly historic mission to the moon. As some have pointed out, though, this endavour is not what you would call a failure by anyone’s standards.

The Chandrayaan-2 mission, like its Chandrayaan-1 predecessor, managed to deploy its orbiter without incident before the apparently doomed landing attempt took place. As noted by Emily Lakdawalla of the The Planetary Society, the orbiter – an eye up in the moon’s airless sky – will keep watch over our world’s sole natural satellite for an entire year.

If the orbiter was lost too, then sure, this mission would be a devastating, but not unforeseeable, failure. Space is hard. But the ingenuity of India’s scientists and engineers means that ISRO will now be able to conduct a myriad of phenomenal, cutting-edge lunar research regardless of whether or not they can salvage Vikram.

The orbiter, connected with the Indian Deep Space Network – a collection of antennas and relays to support its interplanetary missions – is absolutely packed with top-notch tech. Here’s a taste of what that little orbiter will be able to accomplish as it spins around the moon in glorious solitude.

–      Its Terrain Mapping Camera 2, or TMC 2, will be able to develop a detailed cartography of the lunar surface to a fairly decent resolution. This will help create 3D maps of the surface of the moon’s most massive scar, full of elusive, oft-hidden topographies and locked up supplies of water ice.

–      This will be aided by a radar system, one that will be capable of peering into regions of the moon that are perpetually in shadow. The radar will bounce off and warp inside the surface-level formations, and scientists will be able to use these perturbations to calculate the various thicknesses of said formations, including that all-important water ice.

–      The devil is in the details, which is why the infrared spectrometer instrument will come in handy. Using the characteristics of the light being emitted by the rocks lingering at the surface, this piece of kit will be able to identify a range of mineral species, thereby improving our understanding of the moon’s geology and how its south polar region varies from, say, the near side regions sampled by the Apollo missions around half a century earlier.

–      It’s not all about the moon. The orbiter’s X-ray Monitor will look at the fury being emitted by the Sun and its enigmatic, wisp-like corona, in effect allowing scientists to see how much solar radiation makes it to the moon, and how it changes along its journey.

Originally designed to last a year, the orbiters flawless insertion into a stable lunar ballet is now reportedly allowing it to function for almost seven years. Short of a rogue cometary or asteroidal fragment slamming into the orbiter, then, these instruments – and several others – will keep working, providing scientists all over the world with game-changing data until potentially sometime in 2026.

The fact that ISRO managed to place it there is an enormously laudable feat, and act of technical wizardry so immediately rewarding that it almost doesn’t matter that Vikram toppled over and went silent. It is, of course, hugely disappointing that Vikram looks to be unrecoverable. The science it and its Pragyan rover could have carried out in one of the geologically strangest and increasingly strategic parts of the Moon would have been a thrill to see. But, you know, space is hard.

Don’t let that crash-landing get you down, though; the moon still has a brand-new robotic friend, one that will, in time, reveal more of its secrets than anyone can possibly imagine.

Source :

Forbes

Tags: IndiaMoon missionSpaceVikram lander

Related Posts

Tiger completes ‘longest walk ever’ across India
Asia

Tiger completes ‘longest walk ever’ across India

December 3, 2019
Navy expels suspected Chinese spy vessel from Indian waters
Asia

Navy expels suspected Chinese spy vessel from Indian waters

December 3, 2019
Chandrayaan-2: Indian helps Nasa find Moon probe debris
Asia

Chandrayaan-2: Indian helps Nasa find Moon probe debris

December 3, 2019
Billionaire Says Companies Fear Criticizing India Government
Asia

Billionaire Says Companies Fear Criticizing India Government

December 2, 2019
India, Japan Hold Inaugural Security Talks
Asia

India, Japan Hold Inaugural Security Talks

December 2, 2019
Next Post
India should follow independent policy on Iran’s energy sector: Envoy

India should follow independent policy on Iran’s energy sector: Envoy

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Translate

Popular Post

Tiger completes ‘longest walk ever’ across India
Asia

Tiger completes ‘longest walk ever’ across India

December 3, 2019
0

  A tiger is believed to have completed the longest walk ever recorded by the species in India after travelling...

Read more
Yes, Donald Trump could win

Yes, Donald Trump could win

July 30, 2016
Citizens must be protected amid ‘rising intolerance’: US to Indian government

Citizens must be protected amid ‘rising intolerance’: US to Indian government

July 30, 2016
5 Reasons Why Trump Will Win

5 Reasons Why Trump Will Win

July 30, 2016
‘Gau Rakshaks’ strike again? Fresh video from Rajasthan surfaces

‘Gau Rakshaks’ strike again? Fresh video from Rajasthan surfaces

July 30, 2016
  • About Us
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Creative Commons
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Contact Us

Topics

Follow Us

About Us

Voiceofindia.news is part of the Voice Of India Media Group LLC, which delivers daily news around the globe. ​

© 2015 Voice Of India

No Result
View All Result
  • India News
    • Congress
    • Kashmir
    • Politics
  • Asia
    • China
    • Hong Kong
    • Japan
    • North Korea
    • Oceania
    • Pakistan
    • South Korea
    • Southeast Asia
  • World
    • Africa
    • Canada
    • Europe
    • Latin America
    • Middle East
      • Iraq
      • Israel
      • Jordan
      • Syria
    • Russia
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
  • National Security
    • Cyber Security
    • Military
    • Terrorism
      • ISIS
  • Economy
    • Business
    • Stock Market
    • Science
    • Technology
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Bollywood
    • Books & Literature
    • Food & Drink
    • Health
    • History
    • Lifestyle
    • Movies & TV
    • Music
    • Privacy
    • Religion
    • Travel
    • Women & Children
  • Environment
    • Climate Change
    • Disaster
    • Wildlife / Endangered Species
  • Sports
    • Cricket
    • Auto Racing
    • Cycling
    • Football
    • Golf
    • Olympics
    • Tennis
    • Water Sports

© 2015 Voice Of India