Salutes to ISRO scientists behind moon mission

Chandrayaan-2's lander and rover would soon land on the moon from the south pole, which would be the first time any mission touched down so far from the equator. The ambitious mission will make India the fourth nation to land on the moon to conduct various experiments on its orbit, surface, atmosphere and beneath. It is going to be a major break through. It will be something that each Indian should be proud of. The Hans India salutes the ISRO scientists for coming up to this stage.

Why this mission becomes so special and makes the country watch the launch live on their TV sets is because it is totally our own mission and hard work of our great scientists. Apart from this, what makes it much more special is that this is for the first time, a woman is heading the project. Muthyya Vanitha is heading the Chandrayaan 2 project as Project Director and Ritu Karidhan is leading the project as Mission Director. India would be exhibiting not only its scientific and technical expertise but also would be showcasing women empowerment. It will also go down in the history as the most cost-effective mission.

Initially ISRO had planned to partner with Russia to perform this mission and even signed an agreement in 2007. But subsequently, Russia pulled out citing financial issues but the determined ISRO team proceeded with the mission and has made the country proud. It has proved the scientific prowess of the country. The mysteries of the moon are many, and yet to be understood. Despite all the missions that were taken up including landing on the moon by Neil Armstrong, so far scientists, it is said, only scratched the bottom.

This mission also marks the golden jubilee of its parent, the ISRO, and the centenary of the birth of Vikram Sarabhai, the founder of India's space programme. It is also 50 years after the US sent the first man to the moon — Neil Armstrong.

"ISRO plans to use the experience for more challenging missions in the future, such as touching down on an asteroid or Mars, or sending a spacecraft to Venus, ISRO is confident that the Chandrayaan 2 mission will help India and the world gain a better understanding of the origin and evolution of the Moon by conducting detailed topographical studies, comprehensive mineralogical analyses, and a host of other experiments on the lunar surface. While there, we will explore discoveries made by Chandrayaan-1, such as the presence of water molecules on the Moon and new rock types with unique chemical composition," says the space agency.

ISRO has made it clear that the mission not only aims to expand India's footprint in space, but also to inspire a future generation of scientists, engineers and explorers. Chandrayaan-2 has several science payloads to expand the lunar scientific knowledge through detailed study of topography, seismography, mineral identification and distribution, surface chemical composition, thermo-physical characteristics of topsoil and composition of the tenuous lunar atmosphere, leading to a new understanding of the origin and evolution of the Moon.

ISRO on its website explains, "Extensive mapping of lunar surface to study variations in lunar surface composition is essential to trace back the origin and evolution of the Moon. Evidence for water molecules discovered by Chandrayaan-1, requires further studies on the extent of water molecule distribution on the surface, below the surface and in the tenuous lunar exosphere to address the origin of water on the Moon." While NASA is not directly participating in this mission, the measurements taken by Chandrayaan-2 could be a help for future lunar missions.