Chandrayaan-1, India's first mission to Moon (Part 1/3)

Courtesy ISRO: "THE MOON" with the history of the early solar system etched on it beckons mankind from time immemorial to admire its marvels and discover its secrets. Understanding the moon provides a pathway to unravel the early evolution of the solar system and that of the planet earth. Through the ages, the Moon, our closest celestial body has aroused curiosity in our mind much more than any other objects in the sky.




Scientific Objectives:

- The Chandrayaan-1 mission is aimed at high-resolution remote sensing of the moon in visible, near infrared(NIR), low energy X-rays and high-energy X-ray regions. Specifically the objectives will be




- To prepare a three-dimensional atlas (with a high spatial and altitude resolution of 5-10m) of both near and far side of the moon.




- To conduct chemical and mineralogical mapping of the entire lunar surface for distribution of elements such as Magnesium, Aluminum, Silicon, Calcium, Iron and Titanium with a spatial resolution of about 25 km and high atomic number elements such as Radon, Uranium & Thorium with a spatial resolution of about 20 km.

- Simultaneous photo geological and chemical mapping will enable identification of different geological units, which will test the early evolutionary history of the moon and help in determining the nature and stratigraphy of the lunar crust.




Mission Objectives:

- To realise the mission goal of harnessing the science payloads, lunar craft and the launch vehicle with suitable ground support systems including DSN station.




- To realise the integration and testing, launching and achieving lunar polar orbit of about 100 km, in-orbit operation of experiments, communication/ telecommand, telemetry data reception, quick look data and archival for scientific utilization by identified group of scientists.

GROUND SEGMENT FOR CHANDRAYAAN-1 MISSION, comprises of three major elements:

The Ground Station Network including the Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN), Mission Operations Complex (MOX)and Indian Space Science Data Centre (ISSDC). This trio of ground facility ensures the success of the mission by providing to and fro conduit of communication, securing good health of the spacecraft, maintaining the orbit and attitude to the requirements of the mission and conducting payload operations. The ground segment is also responsible for making the science data available for the Payload Scientists along with auxiliary information, in addition to archiving of payload and spacecraft data. Payload Operation Centres (POCs) also form a part of the Ground Segment.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• MANKPR
• PSLV
• C11
• ISRO
• SDHC
• SHAR
• CHANDRAYAAN
• ORBIT
• SPACE
• MOON
• ROCKET
• LAUNCH
• INDIA
• PSOM-XL
• LAM
• SAR
• LUNAR
• SURFACE