Water on the moon? There might be 2 billion tonnes of it in the lunar poles. And tracing such sources of water will be one of the missions of Chandrayan 1, scheduled for a lift-off by 2007-2008. S Anantakrishnan, key consultant of the project, was optimistic about India’s lunar mission at a presentation to members of Jyotirvidya Parisanstha, an association of amateur astronomers on Sunday.The mission, a two-year sojourn, will also seek to obtain an chemical map of the lunar surface, which will help the scientific community learn about the formation of the moon in relation to the solar system, Anantakrishnan said. ‘‘Moreover, the moon is a source of helium— which can be an answer to the energy needs of the world,’’ he added. In addition, there are prospects of harnessing solar energy, that has a potential of producing 13,000 trillion watts of electricity.The mission will also study the peculiar magnetic fields of the planets. The moon has areas where magnetic fields are more active than other parts, which can be potential areas of settlement. ‘‘These magnetic fields ward of harmful radiation, which is a must for setting up settlements in the moon,’’ he explained.Chandrayan 1 will be 1.5 mt wide and weigh nearly 500 kgs. Nearly 50 kg will comprise different scientific payloads like spectrometers, and high resolution remote sensing cameras, data from which will be used to create a 3-dimensional atlas of the lunar surface. Chandrayan 1 will also have a payload, which will detach from the space craft and crash in to the moon. ‘‘The probe is a result of a challenge thrown up by President APJ Kalam ,’’ he adds.The crucial time of the mission will be when the internal navigation systems guides it towards the lunar orbit of 100 km from 1000 km. ‘‘The event will take place when the spacecraft will be on the far side and we will know if the mission is a success when Chandrayan emerges from the other side of the moon,’’ says Anantakrishnan.
