New Delhi: The Chandrayaan-3 Pragyan rover, whose rear wheels are engraved with the Indian national emblem and the Isro logo on the lunar soil, failed to leave a “clear” mark on either. However, the Indian space agency considers it good news, considering that it provides a new understanding of lunar soil characteristics in the South Polar region.
New information about the Antarctic landmass, which is a target for many future missions because of its potential for water exploration, could prove essential for missions looking at lunar habitation and long-term human presence, reported Times of India.
Talking to the news portal, Isro Chairman S Somanath stated that they were already aware of the different nature of the soil at the lunar surface but did not have any idea about things that make it different. The Indian scientist said the lunar soil was not dusty but clumpy, which means that there was something bound to the soil and the focus is now on unveiling the mystery through studies.
The image of the imprinted relief images was sent to the lunar soil simulator (LSS) created by the Isro Satellite Integration and Test Facility (Isite)f for testing. LSS was developed to match lunar soil samples collected by the US Apollo program from the equatorial region of the Moon.
Isro To Wait 14 Days To Wake Up the Lander And Rover
As of now, Isro decided to wait for 14 days to wake the Vikram lander and Pragyan Rover. The space agency expected that the chances of the revival of the lander as well as Rover are high, considering that the lunar day would progress and surface temperatures would rise. However, S Somanath has stressed that it is not certain if the agency would be able to make the connection with the two machines soon or not.
