Never seen before: The image shows a radar strip overlain over an Earth-based, Arecibo Observatory radar telescope image of the Moon's surface. Taken Nov. 17, 2008, the radar strip shows a part of the Moon never seen before: a portion of Haworth crater that is permanently shadowed from Earth and the Sun. The only way to explore these regions is by using an orbital radar such as the Mini-SAR.
Credit: ISRO/NASA/JHUAPL/LPI/Cornell University/Smithsonian
SYDNEY: An orbiting Indian probe is sending back the first radar images of mysterious, previously hidden craters near the poles of the Moon.
India's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, has captured the images with the help of a NASA-built radar device that is part of the probe's suite of scientific instruments.
The imaging technique can detect features as small as 150 metres wide, and is being used to map the far side of the Moon (hidden from view of the Earth) and search for evidence of water ice.
New resolution
"The only way to explore such areas is to use an orbital imaging radar," said Benjamin Bussey from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland, USA. "This is an exciting first step for the team which has worked diligently for more then three years to get to this point."
Launched on 22 October 2008, from India's Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Chandrayaan-1 has a two-year stint orbiting the Moon (see, India's spacecraft enters lunar orbit).
It will provide a detailed map of the mineral and chemical composition of the surface along with topography. This includes mapping the inside of dark craters that are permanently out of sight from both the Earth and the Sun.
New images taken with NASA's Mini-SAR (synthetic aperture radar) on November 17, 2008, are the first to show what these craters are made from, and what they look like.
One image shows part of the Haworth crater, near the Moon's south pole. Another, the western rim of the Seares crater, an impact feature near the Moon's north pole. The bright areas on the images show slopes coming out from the ground, or a rough surface.
Surprises to come
By collecting further data, scientists hope to establish if deposits of ice exist at the poles of the Moon. Although it is unlikely that the Moon naturally harbours its own deposits of water, some theories suggest that icy comets may have collided with the Moon in the past, leaving deposits of ice at its poles.
"The idea that a watery comet hit the moon, and that ice from that has survived is surprising – but it could happen," commented Malcolm Walter, an astrobiologist with the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.
"Whatever they find will be very interesting," he added. "Parts of the Moon are not well known, there are likely to be all sorts of surprises. As has happened with other planets, the more detailed the images we get, the more surprises we have."
Further radar observations of the Moon will be made with NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), to be launched in April 2009.
indian probe
Sir,
Out of sheer innocence I would like to know if it is possible to take photos of the most historical first few foot prints (still must be obtainable un disturbed ) and the US flag which was fixed long ago on the moon through any of these space probes.
Talluri Vijai Kumar
India Space Mission
Mr. Kumar,
It would be possible if the USA had actually been to the moon. Since the U.S. has never actually landed men upon the lunar surface, it would be impossible sir. I congradulate India on its brilliant lunar mission. India is becoming a super-power as she was throughout 90% of the last 8,000 years.
Dear Moon-Landing-Hoax Conspiracist,
We'd like to thank you for your attempt to visit reality. Although your attempt was an utter and abject failure, we do applaud your continued efforts to join the real world. Please refrain from spreading any and all moronic opinions without first running them by a panel of educated humans. That way, you will most certainly be spared any future embarrassment by spewing such idiotic garbage. You might also ask your handlers to loosen the leather restraints as they appear to be restricting the amount of oxygen that a normal human brain requires to function properly.
the Moon landing Conspiracy
Hi
I am a scientist from India. I happened to meet one of the trainee fighter pilot from middle-east, who was getting trained on Fighter planes in India under some agreement between India and his country. He was convinced beyond a shadow of doubt that US had never landed on moon. I tried to reason with him for about an hour only because he was an educated Muslim. All the time he was saying that moon being 'Pak' meaning pure/holy/godly, according to his religion, it was impossible for any human to set foot on moon.
He told me that the whole thing was created in a desert in USA and they are fooling the whole world.
I think if he is in a dog-fight chasing an enemy aircraft that is in line with moon, he would not fire the missile at all. This is another angle to the the hoax theory, best left untouched. Let them live in the fool's paradise.
H. from India