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Nov 10, 2008 04:23 PM | 16
The Indian space probe Chandrayaan 1 adjusted its orbit around the moon in one of its final maneuvers before releasing a lunar impactor.
Chandrayaan 1 entered into an elliptical orbit around the moon on Saturday, 17 days after blasting off from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota. Yesterday, it fired up its engine to lower its orbit, which now ranges from a high point of about 4,660 miles (7,500 kilometers) to a low point above the lunar surface of 120 miles (200 kilometers). It is now orbiting the moon about every 10 and a half hours.
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), which leads the unmanned mission, says they plan to circularize Chandrayaan 1's polar orbit to about 60-mile (100-kilometer) altitude before dropping its Moon Impact Probe and booting up its scientific instruments.
The impactor will dispatch data back to the mother ship as it takes a suicide dive at the moon. The $80-million Chandrayaan mission carries 11 instruments contributed from an international group of scientists as well as the European Space Agency and NASA. Together, they plan to build a detailed map of the moon's terrain and of its chemical composition.
Chandrayaan 1 is India's first spacecraft to reach the moon and follows on the heels of Chinese and Japanese lunar orbiters that were launched last year.
(Image from NSSDC photo gallery by NASA)
Tags:
lunar probe,
space,
india,
chandrayaan,
moon
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16 Comments
Add CommentWe proud to be Indian. It's a great achievement for space science we wish ISRO for a great Success and emerged as Leader in the Space Industry.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAnish
anish2good@gmail.com
i am very very happy to be a indian. we are reached to almost peak of the everst.. well done ISRO congratues to all scientists.. from Sreenivasa
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisKudos to India for being a little broadminded and making this an international mission with payloads from ESA and NASA. And it is good that a detailed lunar atlas will be created from the mission. Unfortunately, I really don't think this breaks the mold for lunar missions for humanity as a whole. That will only happen when private missions to space and the moon begin. Governments can't help building bureaucracies. That's what they do, regardless of what nation they are from.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIndians are really proud of such a success.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSubhasis Chakraborty
http://www.humshayarhai.blogspot.com/
What will have to Chandrayaan after completion of mission, will it come back to the earth or fall on moon?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCongratulations to all of India for this wonderful achievement.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt is a proud step forward for India, and it is another proud step forward for humanity as a whole.
An interested American.
India, China and Japan should all be extremely proud. I hope they have the forethought, pride and challenge to surpass what has become a sense of humiliation for the US. We went to the moon 40 years ago, but now lack the ability and will to return. The US will soon be begging those nations, along with France and Russia for space on their future missions.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis is for KJeroH. I would like to thank your indirect appreciation.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI am an Indian. I am definetly proud of our scientists achivements. But, I am certainly disturbed with your comments. Why?
It is because, we Indians see this in a different light. US space program was started and sustained with the aim to out run Soviets. Our's was started (with the help of US, ofcourse) for helping people. Your statement will make few cynics think that developments by ISRO should be curtailed at all cost. This definetly is not good for us (because in first place) we are not interested in any race.
Why we are not interested in race is below?
I may sound naive, but, ISRO is still not looking at surpassing anyone or downgrading any country stature. The organization doesnot have vast resources of NASA or ESA or JAXA or Chinese space agency. So we need to use our resourceses very carefully and only for the purpose which provides maximum output for our masses.
I don't doubt u'r good intentions, but, yes, by sounding cynic, you are actualling hurting us.
Special thanks to Theriss for positive appreciation
I wonder if the Hi-Res pictures will be unaltered? The current atlas of the moon is extraordinarily bad. It has multiple alterations made post-op and are very fuzzy. For them to be considered as suitable for examination is a joke.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis gent makes, what are to me, accurate conclusions as to the above. His more controversial statements need additional support but are more than mildly stimulating.
http://www.marsanomalyresearch.com/evidence-directories/9-master/master-directory.htm
Mind bending stuff.
The Chandrayaan-1 wil keep on revolving around moon after its life is over.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe day is not far off, that, on a fine summer vacation, our great grand children will be enjoying their summer holidays on the Mars and for Christmas / Diwali vacations they may plan to go to Moon.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIndia once again proved, that, we are much better than the US.
venkat ramanan iyer
pvr.iyer07@gmail.com
mumbai
USI
(United State of India)
India is a powerful and a great nation. The future super power. Proud to be an India. I love my country.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHail India.
Jai Hind
India is a great and a powerful country. A future super power. Proud to be an Indian. I love my country. Kudos to ISRO.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHail India.
Jai Hind
Youwill find pockets of water and water ice under the lumar surface trapped there for centuries because with my own eyes 1996 I saw ,naked eye and small scope 40x power, meteor impact at Mons Moro in Mare Cognitum of what I suspect was water ice(white bright) from a comet that week sept 96.I could see it that far away and moving superfast,yet change course as it entered the Moon's gravity well.I'll be looking for those hi res shots in Mare Cognitum when avail. jpl123@inbox.com Jerry in Delaware USA I have Mars info also and pics of people and animals on Mars
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYou will find pockets of water and water ice under the lumar surface trapped there for centuries because with my own eyes 1996 I saw ,naked eye and small scope 40x power, meteor impact at Mons Moro in Mare Cognitum of what I suspect was water ice(white bright) from a comet that week sept 96.I could see it that far away and moving superfast,yet change course as it entered the Moon's gravity well.I'll be looking for those hi res shots in Mare Cognitum when avail. jpl123@inbox.com Jerry in Delaware USA I have Mars info also and pics of people and animals on Mars
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYouwill find pockets of water and water ice under the lumar surface trapped there for centuries because with my own eyes 1996 I saw ,naked eye and small scope 40x power, meteor impact at Mons Moro in Mare Cognitum of what I suspect was water ice(white bright) from a comet that week sept 96.I could see it that far away and moving superfast,yet change course as it entered the Moon's gravity well.I'll be looking for those hi res shots in Mare Cognitum when avail. jpl123@inbox.com Jerry in Delaware USA I have Mars info also and pics of people and animals on Mars
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this