ISRO just put out a post on X, that showed the Pragyan Rover making a very crucial move to ensure that it is able to continue on its mission to study the lunar north pole.
The short video of the Pragyan Rover, shows it rotating at a spot, while it was searching for a safer route. The rotation was captured by a Lander Imager Camera.
ISRO put out a post, comparing the rover with a child, frolicking around on the Moon.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
The rover was rotated in search of a safe route. The rotation was captured by a Lander Imager Camera.It feels as though a child is playfully frolicking in the yards of Chandamama, while the mother watches affectionately.
Isn’t it?🙂 pic.twitter.com/w5FwFZzDMp— ISRO (@isro) August 31, 2023
Why the Pragyan Rover had to be rotated
The lunar surface where ISRO’s Pragyan Rover is operating is treacherous to say the least and is filled with craters. Some of the bigger ones that the rover has come across is about 4 metres wide in diametre.
A few days back ISRO team had commanded Pragyan Rover to reroute to ensure its safety after it detected the 4 metre big crater.
Given the compact size of the rover and its smaller wheels, if Pragyan were to fall into a crater it would be extremely difficult for it to then come out of it. Moreover, Pragyan has a lot of ground to cover. Letting it fall inside a crater would defeat the purpose of the mission.
What has the Pragyan Rover found on the Moon
Although it has been only a few days since the Pragyan Rover has been hard at work on the Moon, it has already given ISRO and India a trove of valuable data. For example, it has discovered and confirmed the presence of Sulphur in the lunar soil.
ISRO on Thursday also said that a different payload onboard the Pragyan Rover has discovered the presence of Sulphur on Moon, using a completely different method.
In a post on X, ISRO said the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectroscope (APXS) has detected sulphur, as well as other minor elements.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
In-situ Scientific ExperimentsAnother instrument onboard the Rover confirms the presence of Sulphur (S) in the region, through another technique.
The 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
“This finding by Ch-3 compels scientists to develop fresh explanations for the source of Sulphur (S) in the area: intrinsic?, volcanic?, meteoritic?,……?.” the post read.
This gives a double confirmation of the presence of sulphur.
Besides that, the Pragyan Rover has also found traces of aluminium, oxygen, magnesium, titanium, chromium, iron and several other minerals on the lunar surface.
All of these discoveries will not only lead to a better understanding of the lunar soil, it will also prove to be vital information that will help humanity in colonising the moon or setting up a forward base there, when the time is right
from Firstpost Tech Latest News https://ift.tt/Hwb693W
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