Unbelievable Lunar Breakthrough! Pragyan Rover Reveals Mind-Blowing Elements on Moon’s Surface. You Won’t Believe What They Found!
On August 23rd, Chandrayaan 3’s Pragyan rover achieved a significant milestone by utilizing the Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) tool to conduct on-site measurements of the lunar surface’s elemental composition near the southern pole. This marked a historic first for such measurements in this context. The early analysis by the Indian space agency confirmed the presence of sulfur on the following Tuesday. The findings unveiled a spectrum of elements, including Aluminum (Al), Sulphur (S), Calcium (Ca), Iron (Fe), Chromium (Cr), and Titanium (Ti) on the lunar expanse. Sequential assessments also successfully identified manganese (Mn), silicon (Si), and oxygen (O) among the elements present. The ongoing inquiry is presently directed at ascertaining the presence of Hydrogen.
The LIBS device, developed by the Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems (LEOS) situated in ISRO, Bengaluru, employs a scientific approach that exposes materials to intense laser pulses to achieve compositional insights. By concentrating a laser pulse of high energy onto the surface of a material, such as soil or rock, an intensely hot and localized plasma is generated. The emanated plasma light is then captured and subjected to analysis using tools like Charge Coupled Devices. This approach leverages the distinct wavelengths of light that individual elements emit when in a plasma state, enabling the identification of the material’s elemental constitution.
In a recent development, the Pragyan rover came across a crater of four-meter diameter on the moon’s surface. Following this encounter, the rover was instructed to retrace its path. This decision was prompted after ISRO disclosed preliminary observations from the Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) payload situated on the ‘Vikram lander’.
ChaSTE, a mission aimed at understanding the thermal characteristics of the lunar surface, is responsible for gauging the temperature profile of the topsoil in the vicinity of the pole. The experiment’s objective is to unravel the temperature dynamics of the specific lunar region in question.