India’s moon mission

— India is set for its date with space history on October 22, when the country’s first Moon mission Chandrayaan-I will be launched from Sriharikota to unravel the mysteries of the Earth’s enigmatic celestial neighbour. One of the key missions of Chandrayaan-I will be to do chemical and mineralogical mapping of the entire lunar surface. The mapping will enable identification of the different geological units, which will help scientists study the physical geological structure, mineral potential and availability of key elements on the dusty surface. This will help determine the nature of the lunar crust and most importantly, in finding clues to the Moon’s origin and evolutionary history. Significantly, the unmanned Chandrayaan-I will also search for water on the lunar surface. Water deposited through cosmic bombardments may be there in its permanently dark polar regions in the form of water-ice. The Rs 386-crore mission will also help scientists explore the prospects of establishing a lunar base sometime in the future. The Chandrayaan-I will carry 11 scientific devices, six of them from European and American organisations, while orbiting 100 km above the Moon.

Apart from unravelling the mysteries of the Moon, the mission will send out many a powerful signal to the world. It will signify India’s readiness to become a partner in international space missions. The mission has already boosted global space cooperation by carrying six scientific devices belonging to Western countries out of the total of 11. India has the capability to build any type of launch vehicle and any type of spacecraft. A successful Chandrayaan mission will prove that India can now launch spacecrafts not only in the Earth’s orbit, but also in the orbit of the Moon. The space mission is also expected to inspire the young generation in India to study space science. India is already on its way to becoming a superpower, and mega projects like this are necessary not only for enhanced space cooperation, but also for a greater clout and recognition on the global stage. Hopefully the Moon mission will successfully turn India’s universal dreams into reality. source: assam tribune