Lunar landing article series#

Finally, this approach analyzed the development trend of China’s follow-up lunar landing missions, and suggested that the South Pole Region of the Moon could be the landing site of high priority for the future CE missions.

This study also pointed out the outcomes that could possibly contribute to the key lunar questions on the basis of the selected landing sites of CE-4 and CE-5 such as deep material in South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin, lunar chronology, volcanic thermodynamics and geological structure evolution history of the Moon. Under this background, this paper firstly introduced the principles, process, method and result of landing site selection of China’s Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP), and then analyzed the support of the selected landing sites to the corresponding lunar research.

Lunar landing article series#

According to the widely concerned lunar science goals and the landing site selection of the ongoing lunar missions China has carried out the selection of landing site for a series of Chang’ E (CE) missions. There are two payloads on the Rover, designed to study the chemical and mineral composition of the lunar surface and to determine the composition of elements such as magnesium, aluminium and iron in the lunar soil and rocks.įor a detailed analysis of these experiments, and how they build on findings of the previous Chandrayaan missions (Chandrayaan-1 and Chandrayaan-2), read our explainer here.Landing site selection is of fundamental importance for lunar landing mission and it is closely related to the scientific goals of the mission. There will be four scientific payloads on the lander to study lunar quakes, thermal properties of the lunar surface, changes in the plasma near the surface, and a passive experiment to help accurately measure the distance between Earth and the Moon. The six payloads on the Vikram lander and rover Pragyan remain the same as the previous mission. This information is then relayed to Earth for scientists to analyse and study. Spacecraft are often carrying certain instruments and experiments with them (called payloads) that observe and record what is happening in Space. And finally, what will happen after Chandrayaan-3’s successful landing on the Moon? “Terminal descent” is the final stage, when the spacecraft is supposed to descend totally vertically onto the surface. The rocks and soil in Moon’s north and south poles could therefore provide clues to the early Solar System.Ĥ. The extremely cold temperatures could mean that anything trapped in the region would remain frozen in time, without undergoing much change. Here’s how the Chandrayaan-3 reached the lunar orbit and how it plans to descend to the Moon’s surface.Īs a result, the polar regions of the Moon have remained unexplored.

In addition, there are large craters all over the place. This creates difficulty in the operation of instruments. Many parts lie in a completely dark region without sunlight, and temperatures can go below 230 degrees Celsius. The polar regions of the Moon, however, are different. Sunlight is also present, offering a regular supply of energy to solar-powered instruments. The terrain and temperature are more conducive for a long and sustained operation of instruments. This, in a nutshell, is a soft landing.”Īll of the previous spacecraft to have landed on the Moon have landed in the region near the Moon’s equator, firstly because it is easier and safer here.

Amitabha Ghosh, a scientist for NASA’s Rover mission to Mars, explained it in The Indian Express thus: “Imagine a spacecraft hurtling through space, at 10 times the speed of an airplane, having to nearly come to a standstill in order to land gently on the Earth - all in a matter of a few minutes and, more importantly, without any human intervention. Soft landing simply means landing at a gentle, controlled speed to not sustain damage to a spacecraft. What is a soft landing, and why did Chandrayaan-3 land on the south pole?Īccording to ISRO, the mission’s three objectives were to demonstrate a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, to demonstrate a Rover roving on the Moon and to conduct in-situ scientific experiments. Here, we further explain why a ‘soft landing’ was crucial to the mission, what makes landing on the south pole a difficult feat, and what is to happen after the landing. When Chandrayaan-3 took off for the Moon on July 14, we explained the basics of the mission – how a mission launches into Space, what the Chandrayaan-1 and Chandrayaan-2 missions were, etc.

… … and here is how the Chandrayaan-3 Rover ramped down from the Lander to the Lunar surface.