Template:Infobox Spacecraft The Moon Impact Probe (MIP) developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), India's national space agency, was a lunar probe carried by Chandrayaan-1, an unmanned lunar exploration mission of the ISRO.
Launch
The spacecraft was launched along with Chandrayaan-1 by a modified version of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle on 22 October 2008 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.[1][2] Chandrayaan-1 was successfully put into lunar orbit on 8th November 2008.[3]
It was ejected when Chandrayaan-1 reached the 100 km circular polar orbit around the Moon, to impact on the Moon's surface and went into a free fall for 30 minutes. The MIP also depicted pictures of the Indian flag on its sides. With this India became the fourth nation to have an image of its flag deposited on the surface of the Moon[4] after the Soviet Union, United States and Japan.[5]
The probe crashed into the Moon at 8:31 PM, 14 November 2008 IST at a speed of 1.69 kilometres per second, or approximately 6100 km/h (3800 mph). ISRO claims that the Indian flag image survived the impact.[6]
Mission objectives
The primary objective of the mission was to demonstrate the technologies required for crash landing a probe within a specified location on the Moon, and qualify some of the technologies required for any future soft landing missions.[4]
- Design, development and demonstration of technologies required for crashing a probe near a desired location on the Moon.
- Qualify technologies required for future soft landing missions.
- Scientific exploration of the Moon from close range, i.e. just prior to crash landing.
Payload
The MIP carried three instruments:[7]
- Radar Altimeter – which measured the altitude of the probe during descent and provided information on qualifying technologies for future landing missions. The operating frequency band was 4.3 GHz ± 100 MHz.
- Video Imaging System – acquired close range images of the surface of the Moon during descent and before impact. The video imaging system consisted of an analog CCD camera.
- Mass Spectrometer – measured trace constituents of the lunar atmosphere during descent. This instrument was a quadrupole mass spectrometer with a mass resolution of 0.5 amu and sensitivities to partial pressures on the order of 1.3×10-11 pascals.
Landing on South Pole
The Moon Impact Probe was successfully crash-landed on the lunar surface on 14 November 2008, 20:31 Indian Standard Time (15:01 UTC) near the south pole.[8] MIP is one of the 11 other scientific instruments (payloads) on board Chandrayaan-1.[9] India became the fourth nation to have its flag on the Moon's surface, and the first to make a controlled lunar descent since Soviet probe Luna 24 in 1976.
MIP separated from Chandrayaan-1 at 20:06 hrs IST, starting its 25-minute journey[10] to the lunar surface. After separation it fired its spin up rockets, it then fired its retro rocket to start its descent.[10][8] As it fell it kept sending information back to the mother satellite which beamed the information back to earth. The probe functioning terminated after its planned hard landing on the lunar surface.[10][9]
External links
References
- ^ "Mission Sequence". Indian Space Research Organisation|ISRO. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
- ^ "Chandrayaan-1 shifted to VAB". The Hindu. 2008-10-22. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
- ^ "Chandrayaan-1 Successfully Enters Lunar Orbit". ISRO. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
- ^ a b "Payload bearing Tricolour will land on Moon". Economic Times. 2008-10-15. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
- ^ The multi-national European Space Agency also preceded India with a lunar lander, but apparently did not leave flags.
- ^ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Though_probe_crashlanded_tricolour_intact/articleshow/3715205.cms Though probe crashlanded, tricolour intact
- ^ "Moon Impact Probe (MIP)". ISRO. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
- ^ a b "Indian Tricolour lands on Moon". The Indian Express. Nov 14, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-14.
- ^ a b "Chandrayaan-I Impact Probe lands on moon". Times of India. Retrieved 2008-11-14.
- ^ a b c "Indian Tricolour Placed on the Moon". ISRO. Retrieved 2008-11-15.