http://www.newkerala.com/nkfullnews-1-150347.html

Chandrayaan-1 confirms presence of mini-magnetosphere on the Moon.

Happy reading.

Chandrayaan-I detects ice deposits on moon - March 02, 2010 08:16 IST

http://news.rediff.com/report/2010/mar/02/...its-on-moon.htm

Scientists have detected more than 40 ice-filled craters in the moon's North Pole using data from a NASA radar that flew aboard India's Chandrayaan-I.

NASA's Mini-SAR instrument, lightweight, synthetic aperture radar, found more than 40 small craters with water ice. The craters range in size from 2 to 15 km in diameter.

The finding would give future missions a new target to further explore and exploit, a NASA statement said, adding it is estimated that there could be at least 600 million metric tons of water ice in the craters.

"The emerging picture from the multiple measurements and resulting data of the instruments on lunar missions indicates that water creation, migration, deposition and retention are occurring on the moon," Paul Spudis, principal investigator of the Mini-SAR experiment at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, said yesterday

... means many more 'flights' to moon

MSNBC is reporting NASA as claiming to have found at least 600,000,000 tons of water in the north polar region.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35653907/ns/te..._science-space/

That's quite a bit more than I was expecting!

--Greg

There might be a wee mathematical correction to be made to that number - just a few orders of magnitude. A bad metric conversion?

Phil

FWIW, the 600 million metric ton figure was also mentioned by Paul Spudis in his presentation to the press yesterday afternoon. It's based on a one-to-one correspondence between locations with H measured by Lunar Prospector and locations of these ice-filled craters seen with Mini-SAR, and the assumption that there's at least 2 meters worth of nearly pure water ice in each of those craters.

Clearly one of the two numbers in the press release is wrong. Since Paul mentioned 600 million tons I think that is the right number.

Yes indeed, the NASA press release contained a horrible metric conversion error, but it turns out it was the 600 million metric tons figure that was correct. The other figure in the release is the one that was wrong.

Phil

When will they ever learn?

An article on Indian space including Chandrayaan 1 and 2 in today's Aviation Week http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/sto..._p62-231468.xml

Ever since MIP impacted over 18 months ago I have been looking for a clear statement about where it hit the surface. Now I may have it at last (though I really want to see the last few images to confirm it).

This new paper:

Sridharan, R., Ahmed, S. M., Tirtha Pratim, D., Sreelatha, P., Pradeepkumar, P., Naik, N. and Gogulapati, S., 2010. The sunlit lunar atmosphere: A comprehensive study by CHACE on the Moon Impact Probe of Chandrayaan-1. Planet. Space Sci. (2010), doi:10.1016/j.pss.2010.07.027


says the MIP site is at c. 89 S, 30 W. It came down roughly along the 14 E meridian, but on a path that took it a bit west of the pole. This is earthward of the ridge connecting Shackleton and de Gerlache craters.

Phil

This PDS volume contains Chandrayaan-1 Lunar Orbiter (Ch-1) Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) raw and reduced image data, Optical Period 1, Level 1B.
http://pds-imaging.jpl.nasa.gov/volumes/m3.html

A lot of interesting material.
Example:
Part of M3G20090203T135512_V01_QL_B084.jpg
Click to view attachment

I have updated my Moon Landing Sites map to include the new location of MIP. Looking forward to the next thing I can mark on it... presumably Chang-e 2, either its end-of-mission impact which will probably be about the end of next year, or possibly a small lunar impactor it's reported to be carrying, if that report is correct. If so I assume that would occur this fall soon after the orbiter reaches the Moon.

This also includes a correction among the names thanks to a sharp-eyed person who emailed me. I always welcome corrections.

Phil

Click to view attachment

Here's a "flyover" movie over one M3 swath, in visible color - 18 MB AVI, XviD codec. Source was M3G20081119T021733_V01_RDN.IMG and the output was rotated 180 deg. The entire swath is 304 x 28974 pixels (summation mode "global" so not the full resolution of the instrument) with 85 spectral channels returned. Starts over the night side, crossing the terminator, culminating over high sun terrain and ending when the phase angle began to increase.

The rows of hot pixels (the short wavelength channels are noisy) in the beginning inspired me for that particular soundtrack...

One snapshot:
Click to view attachment

A few data and paper releases from Chandrayaan-I from the last 3 months:

1. There is a NASA PDS data release on December 8: http://pds.nasa.gov/tools/subscription_ser...-20101208.shtml. The next scheduled data release is on January 15, 2011.
2. SARA has bought out a paper a month since October.
a. Dynamics of solar wind protons reflected by the Moon - http://arxiv.org/abs/1010.2065v1 (Oct. 11, 2010)
b. The Sub-keV Atom Reflecting Analyzer (SARA) Experiment Aboard Chandrayaan-1 Mission: Instrument and Observations - http://arxiv.org/abs/1012.1527 (Dec. 7, 2010)
c. First observation of a mini-magnetosphere above a lunar magnetic anomaly using energetic neutral atoms - http://arxiv.org/abs/1011.4442 (Nov. 19, 2010)
3. RADOM also has published results - Radiation Environment In Earth-Moon Space: Results From RADOM Experiment Onboard Chandrayaan-1 - http://arxiv.org/abs/1012.2014 (Dec. 9, 2010)

Pradeep

Thanks for the update, Pradeep !

do you have any information when the first data from the Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC) which I am particularly looking forward to will be released ?

there is a preview of TMC data published at the ISRO site (link) which looks very very promising (the announced 5-meter-per-pixel near-global DEM would be by far the best topographic map of the moon yet with resolution two times higher than SELENE/KAGUYA DTM and more than ten times higher than LOLA DTM ...

Don't get too carried away with the idea of a 5 m/pixel DTM. The spatial resolution of the stereo-derived DTM will really be equivalent to the spacing of tie points between the images used in the stereo model. That will be very good, but not as high as 5 m/pixel. Also, TM data are not global, and of course, no data in shadows. Still, it will be a very nice dataset.

Phil

No idea so far on a data release date.

Pradeep

by the way, there is yet another Chandrayaan-related paper on arXiv today
Extremely high reflection of solar wind protons as neutral hydrogen atoms from regolith in space

This news article sounds interesting:



Anyone more details on this upcoming end-of-2010 public data release ?

Here it is:
http://www.issdc.gov.in/CHBrowse/index.jsp

I've checked it out and currently there's only browse versions of the data available, and those at pretty high JPEG compression, but it's enough to have some 3D fun with. Remember that TMC, like HRSC, did simultaneous stereo, so every spot it imaged on the Moon can be seen in 3D with minimal effort.

Thanks a lot for the update, Emily !

I've been waiting for a long time for this one

(Still courious about the Kaguya Terrain Camera data though which is still not (or only partially) released to date)

Interesting research from LRO & Chandrayaan-1: evidence that volcanism has occured as recently as 100 million years ago in Tycho crater.

http://www.universetoday.com/94583/scienti...unar-volcanism/

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/241966...c-activity.html

Most observers seem to feel that the apparent volcanism is really impact melt. But we will have to see what other studies show.

Phil

I will post this here despite the fact that it refers to Chandrayaan 1 rather than Chandrayaan 2, because the C-1 thread had not been added to since 2012.



Over on the NASASpaceflight forum, user Astro-Neel posted this:

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php...2673#msg1992673

Astro-Neel posted some very useful video and other links, including one showing a descent video from MIP on Chandrayaan 1.

The descent frames cover the last few minutes of MIP's descent, from over Malapert crater to a final image near the south pole. Note that we don't know that the last frame shown is the last frame taken (or received). I had suggested that it might lead to an improved estimate of the MIP impact point. There are two published locations for the impact, the most authoritative being the one in ISRO's report to UNOOSA after the impact, which Astro-Neel also linked to later:

http://www.unoosa.org/documents/pdf/ser570E.pdf

(note that the comment in that report about a name for the impact site being accepted by the IAU is not correct - it remains an informal name).

I have located the last image in the video (below). It is on the rim of a small crater about 7 by 10 km across, and about 1.5 km north of the UNOOSA impact coordinates. The shape of the image outline suggests it was taken slightly obliquely from a position north of the image center, not too far north but maybe over its northern edge. (NORTH is to the left, approximately).

Click to view attachment

The second image (below) shows a predicted impact location. MIP may have struck the surface on the wall of that crater in ellipse 1, or it may have flown above that crater rim and hit the surface on the rim of the next crater in ellipse 2 on my image. If it passed over that crater rim it would have hit the earth-facing slope of the 'connecting ridge' between the rims of the two large craters (De Gerlache and Shackleton).

Click to view attachment

Let the splat-hunting begin!

Phil

Just a 3d perspective of the area...such views sometimes give a good perspective to how the terrain roughly lies.

John

That is one blast from past, amazing work. Just to point out that MIP footage is from a presentation by Alok Srivastava given at IISc that I have re-hosted, unfortunately it is in Hindi but if anyone wants translation of any relevant part just ask!
https://youtu.be/18A2araj9XE?t=2415
It was long time ago but I think there are more frames from MIP.
Let me add those links here as well.
https://imgur.com/a/i6G9fI7


Some other references on Chandrayaan-1 imagery featuring MIS frames.
* Selected Images from Chandrayaan-1 of Moon (~388 mb) PDF / Archive (See page 117)
* Chandrayaan-1 Lunar Science Atlas (~70 mb) PDF / Archive (See page 93)
Source: https://vedas.sac.gov.in/vedas/node/63
Mirroring both for easier online viewing:
https://archive.org/details/Chandrayaan-1_Atlas

Edit: Fixed links and attached frame 3105

Thanks! Here is an image showing locations of some of the last frames:

Click to view attachment

When I compare this with the last image you posted showing a predicted impact point, my locations seem to run along the right edge of the image 'corridor' rather than its center. Those previous attempts to locate the last images were plotted on an Earth-based radar image (the other image base is from Clementine), and I am using LRO NAC images with at least 20 times the resolution (probably better than that), where images can be located with much better accuracy (I'm not talking about the base image in my post which is lower resolution). Note that the posted image says the circle is 1 km diameter, but it is actually 10 km (Shackleton is 20 km across).

Maybe this should all be moved to a new thread...

Phil

Another thread or an old relevant one would be nice. I have matched frame 3102 with LRO NAC reference image... getting closer but need to keep in mind 49° off nadir angle of imaging. Here's Quickmap link outlining frame 3102 and last frame from video.

MIP frame 3104 matched as well.

This is excellent. We are seeing that the impact point is further along the trajectory that the 'official' estimate in the UN document. It may be possible to find a plausible impact feature along this trajectory.

Phil

Indeed if 3110 frames are captured and we are already out of previous 'corridor' then impact point could easily be within ellipse 2. I had to stop as I couldn't find more well lit NAC images near relevant area and I see few requests for LRO team are already there

http://target.lroc.asu.edu/output/lroc/lroc_page.html

Ohsin, there will be many other images not in that mosaic. I am travelling, but when I can I will find good images for us to work with.

Phil

Hello, Ohsin. I used this site:

https://ode.rsl.wustl.edu/moon/indexMapSearch.aspx


to find, by trial and error, this image:

http://wms.lroc.asu.edu/lroc/view_lroc/LRO....0/M108986899RE


It is flipped left to right because of the way the camera works.

And here is the location of 3105 - I have flipped the base. Compare with your 3104 map to see how they join.

3205 is right at the 'top' (in my image) of ellipse 2 in my earlier post. If there are still several more images the impact is likely to be at the other end of my ellipse 2.

Rough prediction: 89.61 South, 108.0 East


Click to view attachment


Phil

This map shows the recently located images. The impact should be somewhere near the 'bottom' end (on the image) of the large white ellipse, well up on the connecting ridge between Shackleton and De Gerlache. The coordinates supplied to the UN are clearly not correct. There is a real possibility of locating the impact site in LRO images.

Phil

Click to view attachment

That matches well Phil! Frame 3105 appears to be well more than a kilometer away from edge of frame 3104, so no overlaps.

Thanks for the alternate resource, it is very helpful and I am going through it. Here are two images with well illuminated areas where rest of missing frames and possible impact point should be.

https://ode.rsl.wustl.edu/moon/indexproduct...id=M108986899LC
https://ode.rsl.wustl.edu/moon/indexproduct...id=M108986899RC
https://ode.rsl.wustl.edu/moon/indexproduct...id=M108986899RE
https://ode.rsl.wustl.edu/moon/indexproduct...id=M109007281LC

Editing to add two more links

To follow up on this thread, I am attempting to get access to any remaining images from MIP to see if the impact site can be specified more precisely. Any news will be reported here. One conclusion - the impact was slightly on the far side, as the image two posts above shows.

Phil

Found a well illuminated capture of region of our interest, good direction of sweep too covering last few frames.

https://ode.rsl.wustl.edu/moon/indexproduct...id=M139783961LC

Collection of few papers related to MIP.

https://archive.org/details/29p_20191209

According to first paper, MIP camera had resolution of 70 meters at 100 km altitude. Second paper gives altitude and footprint for frames #2871 and #2874 and as we have matched frame 3105 its footprint can perhaps be used to have an idea on MIP altitude for it, viewing angle should be close to zero before impact. I am guessing it should be about 2.5 km.



For what it is worth, MIP #VIS 2874 on Quickmap (Lat: -79.18857 Lon: 14.25934)

This image summarizes what we can now say about the MIP impact site. I only show images which are available at present. I have been seeking more but without success. It is possible that MIP flew over the ridge where I suggest it crashed and struck another ridge (the 'Connecting Ridge') a moment later. The map in A shows a projection of the descent trajectory to the surface at about 89.63° S, 110.77° W, slightly over the mean limb on the farside. Alternatively MIP may have passed just above that ridge and struck the surface near 89.42° S, 134.00° W. The impact feature has not been identified.

The first Artemis landing may be in this area and it is entirely possible that the first visitors in this century will find debris from MIP on the surface. Of course, we don't speak of such things here. Oops, I just did. Maybe they will send a robotic precursor, in which case it's allowed.

Phil

Click to view attachment

EDIT: replaced image with one containing the corrected Hindi text for Jawahar Point.

Well laid out Phil! 'Jawahar Point' in Hindi is written as "जवाहर पॉइंट" or translated as 'Jawahar Sthal' i.e 'जवाहर स्थल'

Mapped last few frames and some region ahead on QuickMap.

Thanks, Ohsin! I have corrected the Hindi text and replaced the above image with the corrected version.

Do you know if the Vikram landing site would have been given a name if it had landed successfully?

Phil

I am sure they'd have something in mind but they didn't let it out. Date doesn't appear to have anything historically relevant to it as well.

I am revising my map of the MIP impact location based on topography and Ohsin's estimated altitude for the last image - see above. It looks to me as if the impact occurs at the location shown here, which is very close to (1 or 2 km from) the high point on the "Connecting Ridge" between Shackleton and De Gerlache craters. This is just about the most illuminated point on the moon and is one of the candidates for early robotic and human landings in the next few years. The map at left showing MIP image locations reveals the precession of the spinning probe during descent, as the images trace a sinuous path along the ground track. That's why the track in the map at right does not just follow the image footprint centroids. Obviously some further refinements are possible.

Phil

Click to view attachment

@Oshin - Whether the last 3 frames were correct & 3105? I have 3 frames from 3102 to 3105 and it doesn't match any of the stuff posted here (May be what I have is after 3105?)

I am not sure about the pics I have

These are the last images I have:

Click to view attachment

And this is the source:

Click to view attachment

(download it here: )

https://vedas.sac.gov.in/vedas/downloads/at...oon_English.pdf

Are your images different? Please post them if they are.

(incidentally the top left image on the first picture is the Apollo 16 landing site seen from the south)


Phil

These images might be 3103,3104 & 3105 but not sure about whether these are the ones..

Shan! This is very interesting. I will use the numbering in the picture I showed earlier - the one with 4 MIP images, three of them labelled 3102, 3104 and 3105. Assuming those are correct, you have a new image that must follow 3105 - it might be 3106 or 3107 if the numbering from ISRO is correct. The one you post as 3103 is in fact the ISRO 3105 if you look carefully at the pattern of small craters. The one you post as 3104 is the same as the new one but with more artifacts.

The reason I say the new one is later than 3105 is that I have located it in the LRO image, exactly on the ground track of the MIP descent. It is about 2500 m south of the one ISRO calls 3105.

Are there any more images out there? The last is supposed to be 3109 or 3110.

Click to view attachment

Phil

It seems some of the images were lost in transmission so what we are looking might be the last one and not all of the 3110 images were received it seems

Amazing work again Phil and agreed it does appear fit to be #3106 and good to see you here Shan and thanks a lot! May I ask how did you got hold of that last frame!

Edit: Altitude of MIP for new frame (#3106 assumed) should be nearly 1.2 km. (see post 487 above)

We have got the last frame(3109) also but it's utter dark and the impact might be somewhere around here (It seems some of the images were lost it transmission)

The last frame has just a very small part of one corner illuminated, too little for it to be correlated with the LRO base image (so far). But it's enough to show the orientation from the way craters are shaded, so we know a bit about it. Significantly, there is only one place where a shadow large enough to contain that shaded image occurs, and it's about where the image sequence suggests it ought to be, so there really is no doubt where it should lie on the map. We had the image from S. M. Ahmed of the University of Hyderabad, but I'm not sure if I am free to post it here. Something is being written now and i will post more later.

Phil