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India firms up plans for moon mission
Monday, 07 April 2003, 19:30 IST
BANGALORE: India appears to have firmed up plans to send a remote sensing satellite to orbit the moon in the next five years as part of its eventual lunar mission.
The report of the lunar mission study task force was presented Friday to the cream of India's scientific community at the headquarters of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to elicit opinion before the 
4 billion project is cleared by the Indian government.
"Work on the 250 kg satellite to be launched by India's PSLV (polar satellite launch vehicle) would begin once the clearance comes through. The satellite will orbit about 100 km from the moon," an ISRO official told IANS.
The presentation was attended by top scientists like ISRO chairman K. Kasturirangan, noted astrophysicist Jayant Narlikar, M.G.K. Menon, U.R. Rao, Yashpal, Govind Swarup of the National Radio Astronomy Centre, Pune and Roddam Narasimha, director of the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS).
"Most of the missions undertaken have been around the equator of the moon. The intention of this study is to map out the surface of the moon. Basically, it is a scientific mission," said Narasimha.
The focus on the moon, which died down after the competition between the U.S. and the erstwhile Soviet Union during the Cold War, has re-emerged in some countries with the development of several technologies and instruments that could provide finer images of the surface of the moon and other properties.
"The moon is still an unusual satellite. The basic question whether the moon is a chip of the earth or not remains unanswered still. Or, whether it is an invading satellite. Other planets have relatively smaller satellites," Narasimha maintained.
"For instance, the soil on the moon is much lighter than on earth. This and a few other things are known, but nothing beyond that," Narasimha added.
But, scientists and officials are not prepared to say much about the long-term impact of this study on humankind and its development by studying the various aspects of the making of the moon.
"A few other countries are also planning lunar missions, but we are certain that it would not be overlapping what the others are studying," Narasimha said.
Source: IANS
4 billion project is cleared by the Indian government.
"Work on the 250 kg satellite to be launched by India's PSLV (polar satellite launch vehicle) would begin once the clearance comes through. The satellite will orbit about 100 km from the moon," an ISRO official told IANS.
The presentation was attended by top scientists like ISRO chairman K. Kasturirangan, noted astrophysicist Jayant Narlikar, M.G.K. Menon, U.R. Rao, Yashpal, Govind Swarup of the National Radio Astronomy Centre, Pune and Roddam Narasimha, director of the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS).
"Most of the missions undertaken have been around the equator of the moon. The intention of this study is to map out the surface of the moon. Basically, it is a scientific mission," said Narasimha.
The focus on the moon, which died down after the competition between the U.S. and the erstwhile Soviet Union during the Cold War, has re-emerged in some countries with the development of several technologies and instruments that could provide finer images of the surface of the moon and other properties.
"The moon is still an unusual satellite. The basic question whether the moon is a chip of the earth or not remains unanswered still. Or, whether it is an invading satellite. Other planets have relatively smaller satellites," Narasimha maintained.
"For instance, the soil on the moon is much lighter than on earth. This and a few other things are known, but nothing beyond that," Narasimha added.
But, scientists and officials are not prepared to say much about the long-term impact of this study on humankind and its development by studying the various aspects of the making of the moon.
"A few other countries are also planning lunar missions, but we are certain that it would not be overlapping what the others are studying," Narasimha said.
Source: IANS