NASA uses Chandrayan’s data to detect water on Moon
Scientists from the US space agency NASA have detected magmatic water under the Moon’s surface. They used the data collected by the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) instrument aboard the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, to remotely detect magmatic water, or water that originates from deep within the Moon’s interior, on the lunar surface.
What is Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3)?
The Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) was one of two instruments that NASA contributed to India’s first mission to the Moon, Chandrayaan-1, launched on October 22, 2008. The instrument was managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
M3 imaged the lunar impact crater Bullialdus, which lies near the lunar equator. In 2009, M3 provided the first mineralogical map of the lunar surface and discovered water molecules in the polar regions of the Moon.
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Month: Current Affairs - August, 2013
Category: Science & Technology Current Affairs