A few days after Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft landed on the Moon’s South Pole, the Pragyan rover has sent data showing the temperature profile of the lunar surface at various depths of the South Pole. On Sunday, Chandrayaan-3 has sent first observations from the Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) payload onboard the Vikram lander.
ChaSTE measures the temperature profile of the lunar topsoil around the pole, to understand the thermal behaviour of the moon’s surface. “It has a temperature probe equipped with a controlled penetration mechanism capable of reaching a depth of 10 cm beneath the surface,” the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.
In a tweet, ISRO said that the probe is fitted with 10 individual temperature sensors. The tweet had a graph that illustrates “the temperature variations of the lunar surface/near-surface at various depths, as recorded during the probe’s penetration”.
The Pragyan rover has so far sent a number of videos of it landing on the surface of the moon and its first step, leaving a trail of its footprints. On Saturday, the space agency released a video which showed the Pragyan rover roaming around Shiv Shakti point, the touchdown site of lander Vikram, on the South Pole of the Moon.
“Pragyan rover roams around Shiv Shakti Point in pursuit of lunar secrets at the South Pole!” ISRO said on X (formerly Twitter).
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in the latest edition of his monthly radio broadcast — ‘Mann Ki Baat’ — on Sunday that mission ‘Chandrayaan-3’ has emerged as the symbol of the spirit of a ‘New India’, which wants to emerge victorious under any circumstances.
“On August 23, our Chandrayaan-3 mission proved to the world that the dawn of revolution and resolve can also light up the dark side of the moon. Mission Chandrayaan has become a symbol and the spirit of a new India. This is an India, which wants to emerge victorious at all costs. It wants to break new grounds regardless of the circumstances,” PM Modi said.
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Updated: 27 Aug 2023, 04:20 PM IST
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