Possible recent findings from India's Chandrayaan-3 mission include the
first seismic data on the Moon since the 1970s.
If verified as natural seismic data, it may provide scientists with a
much-needed understanding of the structure of the Moon's interior.
Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) onboard the Vikram lander
captured the rumblings.
The mission's Pragyan rover was able to record the seismic rumbles of its
movement on the Moon thanks to its first-ever Micro Electro Mechanical
Systems (MEMS) technological equipment.
However, it also detected what may be an impact or an earthquake.
"The main goal of ILSA is to quantify ground vibrations caused by
accidents, natural disasters, and man-made events. The graphic shows the
vibrations that were recorded on August 25, 2023, during the rover's
navigation," a statement from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) stated.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
— ISRO (@isro) August 31, 2023
In-situ Scientific Experiments
Instrument for the Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) payload on Chandrayaan 3 Lander
-- the first Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology-based instrument on the moon --
has recorded the movements of Rover and other… pic.twitter.com/Sjd5K14hPl
Furthermore, an incident that appears to be natural and was captured on
August 26, 2023 is also displayed. The inquiry into the cause of this
incident is ongoing."
This is really interesting since, up until now, the
Apollo program's
late 1960s and early 1970s seismic data has been the finest available for
the Moon.
With the arrangement of the Moon's gizzards still a mystery, scientists
have been hankering after more. Resolving that would mostly depend on
seismic data.
Despite the fact that ISRO has only been on the Moon for a few weeks, it
has already carried out a number of scientific studies and found the first
elements at the south pole.
At the moment, the lander and rover are both in sleep mode. This is due to
the fact that their stay on the Moon, which lasts for around 14 days, is now
nighttime.
Like previous lunar missions, Vikram and Pragyan are powered by the sun, so
they "sleep" at night when their batteries can't be recharged.
On September 22, Vikram and Pragyan will awaken from their sleep and resume their
investigations of the Moon's enigmatic south pole.
