CHANDRAYAAN 2LAST

A week ago, the committee, after detailed discussions
on mission requirements, weight and power availability for
scientific payloads, announced that it has recommended five
payloads to be flown on the orbiter of which three are new and
two are improved versions of the payloads flown earlier on
Chandrayaan-1 orbiter.
It also recommended two scientific payloads on the
rover of the lunar odyssey. All the seven are Indian payloads.
Rao said it is for the first time that India is
carrying a lander and rover which would carry out in-situ
experiments which are "always something of great importance".
He pointed to the planned landing "right at the
point", carrying out in-situ experiments and transmitting from
the antenna on the lander.
The US and Russia have undertaken missions involving
lander and rover in the past, he said, adding, "Certainly we
(India) are right there on the top".
Rao said he was sure if China, which has the
capability of sending such a mission, has done lunar landing
of this type.
Underlining the importance of the proposed moon
mission, Rao said India has to get into the "business of
landers and rovers" sooner or later.
He indicated that the mission would contribute to
enhancing knowledge as and when Indian capital New Delhi
decides to undertake a manned mission to moon which ISRO
officials maintain could be a possibility in next ten to 15
years.
"May be in future…..manned moon mission…. We don’t
know when...," he said.
Rao said India is seeing Chandrayaan-2 mission as an
opportunity to develop new technologies in a "comprehensive
way".
ISRO officials said the five recommended payloads of
the orbiter are aimed at mapping the major elements present on
the lunar surface and probe the presence of water and various
chemicals in the Earth's natural satellite.
It also covers mapping of lunar surface over a wide
wavelength range for the study of presence of minerals, water
molecules and various chemicals, and the lunar exosphere
besides preparing a three-dimensional map essential for
experiments relating to lunar mineralogy and geology.
Both the instruments on Chandrayaan-2 rover are
expected to carry out elemental analysis of the lunar surface
near the landing site, they added. PTI