New Discovery Enhances India’s Chandrayaan-3 Achievements
NEW DELHI: As India prepares to celebrate the first anniversary of the Chandrayaan-3’s historic landing on the Moon’s south pole on August 23, 2023, a significant new discovery has emerged from the mission’s scientific data. A team of Indian scientists, led by Santosh Vadawale from the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Department of Space, has identified that the lunar regolith at the landing site is primarily made up of ferroan anorthosite rock, displaying a consistent elemental composition.
This important finding, published in the journal Nature on August 21, is derived from data collected by the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS), an instrument aboard the Pragyan rover. The APXS was developed to analyze the elemental composition of lunar soil at various points along the rover’s path.
Additionally, the PRL scientists have found evidence of a previously unexplored magma ocean near the south pole, supporting the lunar magma ocean (LMO) hypothesis. According to this widely accepted theory, the Moon was initially an ocean of magma, which upon cooling, caused heavier minerals to sink and form the Moon’s inner layers, while lighter minerals created the outer crust. The presence of ferroan anorthosite validates this hypothesis, though the discovery of magnesium-rich material suggests that the site contains both surface and deep lunar material.
Further, the chemical composition of the regolith near the south pole was found to be similar to soil samples from equatorial and mid-latitude regions of the Moon. Pragyan’s observations also highlighted the geology of the landing site, noting a smooth terrain within a 50-meter radius, devoid of visible craters or boulders. Beyond this area, the rover encountered boulders likely ejected from nearby craters, with some formations visible near small crater rims.
Over 23 different measurements within a 50-meter radius of the landing site revealed that the lunar soil is uniform in composition, making it a valuable reference for future remote sensing missions. The research utilized techniques like X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Particle Induced X-ray Emission, accruing nearly 31 hours of observation over a 10-day mission period.
This study reinforces the efficacy of Chandrayaan-3’s scientific instruments and provides new insights into the Moon’s geological and evolutionary history.
Original Story https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/moon-had-an-ancient-magma-ocean-reveals-chandrayaan-3s-new-data/articleshow/112691873.cms
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