What is ChandraYaan?
Chandrayaan-1 is the first spacecraft mission of ISRO beyond Earth orbit. Chandrayaan-1 is a scientific investigation – by spacecraft – of the Moon. The name Chandrayaan means “Chandra- Moon , Yaan-vehicle”, –in Indian languages (Sanskrit and Hindi) , – the lunar spacecraft. Chandrayaan-1 is India's first mission to the moon launched by India's national space agency the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
History
The idea of undertaking an Indian scientific mission to Moon was initially mooted in a meeting of the Indian Academy of Sciences in 1999 that was followed up by discussions in the Astronautical Society of India in 2000. Based on the recommendations made by the learned members of these forums, a National Lunar Mission Task Force was constituted by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The Study Report of the Task Team was discussed in April 2003 by a peer group of about 100 eminent Indian scientists representing various fields of planetary & space sciences, earth sciences, physics, chemistry, astronomy, astrophysics and engineering and communication sciences. Subsequently, Government of India approved ISRO's proposal for the first Indian Moon Mission, called Chandrayaan-1 in November 2003.
The Budget
The estimated cost for the project is Rs. 386 crore (US$ 80 million)
The budgetary estimate for realising the proposed Indian lunar mission Chandrayaan-1 stands at Rs. 386.00 crores (about $76 million). This includes Rs. 53.00 crores (about $11 million) for Payload development, Rs. 83.00 crores (about $17 million) for Spacecraft Bus, Rs. 100.00 crores ($20 million) towards establishment of Deep Space Network, Rs. 100.00 crores ($20 million) for PSLV launch vehicle and Rs. 50.00 crores ($10 million) for scientific data centre, external network support and programme management expenses.
The Objectives
The primary objectives of Chandrayaan-1 are:
- To expand scientific knowledge about the moon
- To upgrade India's technological capability
- To provide challenging opportunities for planetary research to the younger generation of Indian scientists
The Scientific Goals?
- To prepare a three-dimensional atlas (with a high spatial and altitude resolution of 5-10 m) of both near and far side of the moon.
- To conduct chemical and mineralogical mapping of the entire lunar surface for distribution of mineral and chemical elements such as Magnesium, Aluminum, Silicon, Calcium, Iron and Titanium as well as high atomic number elements such as Radon, Uranium & Thorium with high spatial resolution.
- By simultaneous photo geological and chemical mapping, we will be able to identify different geological units, which will test the hypothesis for the origin and early evolutionary history of the moon and help in determining the nature of the lunar crust
- Search for water-ice
- Chemical Mapping
- Mineralogical Mapping
- Topography Mapping
- Radiation Environment
- Magnetic Field Mapping
- Volatile Transport
- Lunar Atmospheric constituent
Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft was launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh on 22 October 2008 at 06:22 IST (00:52 UTC). The vehicle was successfully inserted into lunar orbit on 8 November 2008.
On 14 November at 20:06 hrs IST, the Moon Impact Probe (MIP) was ejected from the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft and hard landed on the lunar surface near the South Polar Region at 20:31 hrs IST after 25 minutes journey. It placed the Indian tricolour, which was pasted on the sides of MIP on the Moon.
The Weather on the Moon
The moon undergoes extremes in temperature - the side of the Moon receiving sunlight becomes scorching hot at about 130 ºC, and freezing cold at -180 ºC on the nightside.
Scientific instruments onboard Chandrayaan-1?
There are altogether eleven scientific instruments onboard Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft. Five of them are Indian and other six are from ESA (3), NASA (2) and Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (1) selected through ISRO Announcement of Opportunity (AO). Two of the ESA instruments have Indian collaboration.
The People
Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation:Mr Madhavan Nair was born on October 31, 1943 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He graduated in Engineering from Kerala University in 1966 and underwent training at Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC), Bombay. He joined Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) in 1967. Since then, he has held various positions posting illustrious milestones on his way to the present position.Nair is as the Chairman of Indian Space Research Organization entrusted with the responsibility of development of space technology and its applications for National development. During his tenure as Chairman, ISRO/Secretary, DOS, twenty two successful missions were accomplished i.e., INSAT-3E, Resourcesat-1, Edusat, Cartosat-1, Hamsat-1, INSAT-4A, PSLV-C5, GSLV-F01, PSLV-C6, Cartosat-2, INSAT-4B, SRE-1, PSLV-C7,PSLV-C8, GSLV-F04, INSAT-4CR,PSLV-C10, Cartosat-2A, IMS-1,PSLV-C9, Chandrayaan-1 and PSLV-C1. He has taken initiatives towards development of futuristic technologies to enhance the space systems capabilities as well as to reduce the cost of access to space.
Project Director
Mylswamy Annadurai (born 2 July, 1958, in Kothawady near Pollachi in Coimbatore district, Tamilnadu, India)[1][2] is a scientist with the Indian Space Research Organization and currently serves as the Project Director of Chandrayaan I. He has a Bachelors in Engineering degree from Government College Of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India and Masters Degree in Engineering from PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu in India. Over the years Annadurai has worked in different satellite projects - from Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites 1A, 1B and communication satellites Insat 2A to 3E series.
He was mission director for the Insat 2C to 3E satellites and was associate project director for the country's first education satellite Edusat before being assigned the prestigious Chandrayaan project in 2004.
The Challenges
Chandrayaan is not just another satellite. There were many new challenges in building it. The challenges started from the launch vehicle itself, as that is what determines the weight of the satellite.
Five years ago (2003) it was decided that Chandrayaan would be carried on a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). At that time PSLV was ISRO's tried and tested rocket, while its heavier Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) was still in its infancy. PSLV can carry a payload of around 1,500 kg for geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).
So Chandrayaan team knew the maximum permissible weight of the satellite. The thumb rule is that a rocket can carry around one percent of its total liftoff weight as luggage. That was one boundary within which Chandrayaan team had to work.
Then there was the question matching the payloads the PSLV will carry in addition to the experimental instruments aboard Chandrayaan. They are from multiple sources - the US, different European countries and ISRO. The spacecraft had to be designed for them.
Then, to reach the lunar orbit, the satellite's propulsion system needs high-thrust engines. While the on-board motors of Insat satellites are fired for a maximum of one week to lift it to the intended orbit around the earth, Chandrayaan will have to travel 18 days or more to reach the lunar orbit. So the buzzword for Chandrayaan team was maximum possible miniaturisation of components to reduce weight.
The hyper spectral imager that will photograph the lunar surface has been reduced in size and weight, for instance. The spin-off benefit will be that future satellites can carry smaller equipment,
The next was the communications challenge. The Insat satellites cannot be put in lunar orbit. The communication to and from the satellite will be very difficult. The moon satellite will be orbiting at 3,86,000 km from the earth - over 10 times the distance at which communication satellites orbit.
As a result ISRO's satellite centre had to develop far more advanced communication sensors to receive and transmit signals. Chandrayaan will be orbiting just 100 km above the lunar surface. So the extrme climate near the moon was another challenge that Chandrayaan team had to take into account. Communication satellites while in orbit are manoeuvred to maintain equilibrium between the hot and cold climes up above the earth. In a moon orbit the satellite will be exposed to high heat and thermally it needed a different design.
How will mission controllers communicate with the spacecraft?
If the spacecraft encounters a problem, it can establish contact with controllers on Earth through the Deep Space Network. If a component on the spacecraft fails, controllers on Earth can instruct Chandrayaan-1 to bring a backup online. If the spacecraft points in the wrong direction, its attitude can be corrected. If the spacecraft deviates from the desired trajectory, a controlled burn (thruster firing) can be performed to put it back on track.
The Achievements
Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument (LLRI), one of the 11 scientific instruments (payloads) carried by Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, has successfully been turned ON today (November 16, 2008).
three other payloads of Chandrayaan-1 – Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC), Radiation Dose Monitor (RADOM) and Moon Impact Probe (MIP) – were successfully turned ON. MIP, carrying Indian tricolour, was released from the spacecraft on November 14, 2008 and 25 minutes later, successfully impacted the lunar surface as intended. TMC took pictures of the Earth and moon when the spacecraft was on its way to moon.
The pictures and other scientific data sent by Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft from lunar orbit have been received by antennas of Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) at Byalalu. The spacecraft operations are being carried out from the Satellite Control Centre (SCC) of ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) at Bangalore. Currently, the scientific instruments/payloads are being commissioned sequentially and exploration of Moon with the array of onboard instruments have begun.
The Future
Chandrayaan-1 will be followed by Chandrayaan-2 which features a lander and a rover. India and Russia will jointly participate in this project. However, there may be a provision to accommodate payloads from other space agencies as happened in Chandrayaan-1.
Chandrayaan-2 is the second unmanned lunar exploration mission proposed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) at a projected cost of Rs. 425 crore (US$ 90 million). The mission includes a lunar orbiter as well as a Lander/Rover.
ISRO plans to land a motorised rover on the Moon likely in 2012, as a part of its second Chandrayaan mission. The wheeled rover will move on the lunar surface, to pick up soil or rock samples for on site chemical analysis. The data will be sent to Earth through Chandrayaan II, which will be in lunar orbit.
Chandrayaan II will consist of the spacecraft itself and a landing platform with the Moon rover. The platform with the rover will detach from the orbiter after the spacecraft reaches its orbit above the Moon, and land on lunar soil. Then the rover will roll out of the platform. The rover will weigh between 30 kilograms (66 lb) and 100 kilograms (220 lb), depending on whether it is to do a semi-hard landing or soft landing. The rover will have an operating life-span of one month. It will run predominantly on solar power.
