MOON’S SOUTH POLE
CONTEXT:
- ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 all set to soft-land near the lunar south pole will be world’s first mission to soft-land near the lunar south pole.
MORE ABOUT THE NEWS :
- According to Isro officials, the Chandrayaan-3 will reach the lunar orbit almost a month after its launch.
- Its lander, Vikram, and rover, Pragyaan, are likely to land on the Moon on August 23.
- Notably, the landing site of the latest mission is more or less the same as the Chandrayaan-2: near the south pole of the moon at 70 degrees latitude.
- If everything goes well, the Chandrayaan-3 will become the world’s first mission to soft-land near the lunar south pole.
- All the previous spacecraft to have landed on the Moon have landed in the equatorial region, a few degrees latitude north or south of the lunar equator.
- The furthest that any spacecraft has gone from the equator was Surveyor 7, launched by NASA, which made a moon landing way back on January 10, 1968. This spacecraft landed near 40 degrees south latitude.
LUNAR FACING POLE Vs SOUTH POLE :
- It is easier and safer to land near the equator.
- The terrain and temperature are more hospitable and conducive for a long and sustained operation of instruments.
- The surface here is even and smooth, very steep slopes are almost absent, and there are fewer hills or craters.
- Sunlight is present in abundance, at least on the side facing the earth, thus offering a regular supply of energy to solar-powered instruments.
- The polar regions of the Moon, however, are a very different, and difficult, terrain.
- Many parts lie in a completely dark region where sunlight never reaches, and temperatures can go below 230 degrees Celsius.
- Lack of sunlight and extremely low temperatures create difficulty in the operation of instruments.
- In addition, there are large craters all over the place, ranging from a few centimetres in size to those extending to several thousands of kilometres.
WHY DO SCIENTISTS WANT TO EXPLORE LUNAR’S SOUTH POLE ?
- Due to their rugged environment, the polar regions of the Moon have remained unexplored.
- Several orbiter missions have provided evidence that these regions could be very interesting to explore.
- There are indications of the presence of ice molecules in substantial amounts in the deep craters in this region.
- India’s 2008 Chandrayaan-1 mission indicated the presence of water on the lunar surface with the help of its two instruments onboard.
- The extremely cold temperatures here mean that anything trapped in the region would remain frozen in time, without undergoing much change.
- The rocks and soil in Moon’s north and south poles could therefore provide clues to the early Solar System.
SYLLABUS: PRELIMS, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLGY
