ISRO’s Chandrayaan-2 mission gives us great information from the moon. In a recent development that informed the Indian space agency CHACE-2; which is part of the main spacecraft, provides insight into the dynamics of the lunar exosphere and activities in the first tens of meters below the lunar surface. Read below to understand all about the disclosures made.
What were the observations made?
The Chandra’s Atmospheric Composition Explorer-2 (CHACE-2), a four-pole mass spectrometer aboard the Chandrayaan-2 mission, has observed the global spread of Argon-40 in the thin lunar exosphere, according to the Indian Space Research Organization. These observations provide insight into the dynamics of the exospheric species on the moon, as well as radiogenic activities in the first few tens of meters below the lunar surface, the Bengaluru-based space agency said in a statement on Tuesday.
WHAT IS ARGON-40?
An inert, colorless and odorless element, Argon is a noble gas. The vast majority of argon on Earth is the isotope Argon-40 which comes from the radioactive disintegration of Potassium-40 (K-40) present beneath the lunar surface. Argon 40 diffuses through intergranular space and makes its way into the moon’s exosphere through seepage and fractures.
Chandrayaan-2
Chandrayaan-2 is the second lunar exploration mission developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), after Chandrayaan-1. It consists of a lunar orbiter and also included the Vikram lander and the Pragyan lunar rover, all of which were developed in India. The main scientific goal is to map and study the variations in the composition of the lunar surface, as well as the location and abundance of lunar water.
The spacecraft was launched on July 22, 2019 at 09:13:12 UTC on its mission to the moon from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Andhra Pradesh by a GSLV Mark III-M1. The spacecraft reached the moon’s orbit on August 20, 2019 and began orbital positioning maneuvers for the landing of the Vikram lander. However, the lander crashed when it deviated from its intended trajectory while attempting to land on September 6, 2019.