ISRO Describes Pragyan Rover’s Movement on the Moon as “Childlike Frolicking”
India is making progress towards a significant achievement with the upcoming launch of Aditya-L1, while the Chandrayaan-3 mission is also underway to explore the Moon. On August 23, 2023, India successfully achieved a ‘soft landing’ on the lunar surface, specifically at the Moon’s south pole, marking a historic moment.
Vikram Lander’s safe landing
The world watched in anticipation as Vikram landed safely on the surface of the Moon. The first crucial step in this mission was to send Pragyan. When Pragyan rolled out from landing on the lunar surface, it marked a historic moment as humanity’s first mission to explore the south polar region of the moon.
ISRO regularly updates Pragyan by sharing pictures and videos on X (formerly Twitter)
Pragya’s Rover in turn!
In a video recently shared by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Pragyan was seen doing a 180 degree flip. This move was necessary because the rover had approached the magnificent but dangerous crater while exploring. ISRO explained that this orbit was carried out to find a safe route for Pragyan.
ISRO tweeted on August 31, “The ATV was turned to find a safe route. The spin was captured by the Lander Imager. It’s like a child playfully playing in the Chandamama courtyards, while a mother watches fondly. Isn’t it?”
The atmosphere of the moon
The Moon lacks tectonic activity and an atmosphere, which is why the Moon is full of craters and appears to be frozen. These craters are estimated to be millions of years old. Scientists believe that there must be ice in the permanently shadowed areas of the Moon, which is developing the interest of various space agencies to visit the South Pole of the Moon.
Pragyan achieved a significant milestone by confirming the presence of sulfur among other elements. This discovery added another layer to this historic mission. Also, on August 30, Pragyan captured an image of the Vikram lander from a distance of a few meters, demonstrating the remarkable features of this rover.
It will be interesting to see what other twists and turns this mission takes to reveal the hidden secrets of the Moon.
