First Detailed Geological Map of Moon’s South Pole from Chandrayaan-3 Data

Sub : Sci

Sec: Space sector

Why in News

A team of Indian researchers has created the first detailed geological map of the Moon’s south polar region using data from Chandrayaan-3.

Details:

The new map showcases the undulating terrain of highlands and low plains around the Vikram lander.
Scientists identified secondary craters and traced debris covering the landing zone to the Schomberger crater.
Chandrayaan-3’s Pragyan rover, equipped with the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer, detected the presence of subsurface magma beneath the landing site.
This confirmed the long-held hypothesis that an ancient ocean of molten lava extended across the entire Moon.
Vikram lander’s site is close to the South Pole-Aitken Basin, one of the oldest and largest impact craters in the Solar System.

Chandrayaan-3:

Launch vehicle: LVM-3 (GSLV Mk III).
Landing site: Near the Moon’s south pole.
Conduct in-situ experiments to analyse the lunar regolith (soil), minerals, and environment.
Vikram Lander: Carried instruments like Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) for temperature measurements and LPDC for detecting plasma in the exosphere.
Pragyan Rover: 6-wheeled, AI-powered rover for lunar surface exploration.
Equipped with APXS (Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer) and LIBS (Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) to analyse lunar minerals.
Detected sulphur, aluminium, calcium, iron, chromium, and titanium in the lunar soil.
Propulsion Module: Carried the Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) instrument to study Earth’s atmosphere.

Schomberger Crater:

Schomberger is a prominent lunar impact crater situated in the Moon’s southern hemisphere, near the limb. It has a diameter of approximately 85 km and a depth of about 3.4 km.
The crater exhibits a well-defined, circular rim with sharp edges, indicating minimal erosion. Its inner walls are complex, featuring slumping, ridges, and terraces.

South Pole-Aitken Basin:

The South Pole-Aitken Basin is a vast impact crater located on the Moon’s far side, stretching from the lunar South Pole to the Aitken crater.
It spans approximately 2,500 km in diameter and reaches depths of up to 8.2 km, making it one of the largest and deepest known impact structures in the Solar System.

Early Lunar Missions:

NASA’s Apollo Program: Conducted between 1961 and 1972, the Apollo program aimed to land humans on the Moon and ensure their safe return to Earth.
- Apollo 11 successfully landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Moon on July 20, 1969. Subsequent missions, including Apollo 12 through Apollo 17 conducted extensive lunar exploration and sample collection.
NASA’s Surveyor Program: Active from 1966 to 1968, the Surveyor program’s goal was to demonstrate the feasibility of soft landings on the Moon.
Russian Luna Program: Initiated by the Soviet Union between 1959 and 1976, the Luna program aimed to explore the Moon through a series of robotic missions.
- The program achieved several firsts, including the first human-made object to impact the Moon (Luna 2 in 1959) and the first successful soft landing and return of lunar soil samples by an unmanned spacecraft (Luna 16 in 1970).
Chinese Chang’e Program: Named after the Chinese Moon goddess, the Chang’e program is an ongoing series of missions by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) to explore the Moon.
- Notable missions include Chang’e 3, which achieved a soft landing and deployed the Yutu rover in 2013, and Chang’e 4, which accomplished the first soft landing on the Moon’s far side in 2019.