NASA isn’t the only space agency intent on learning more about the Moon and the rest of our solar system – not even close.
Recently, India landed on the Moon. Not only that, they say their lander detected some kind of movement under the surface.
When the Chandrayaan-3 lander and rover touched down on the surface of the Moon, it made India the 4th nation to land there successfully – and the first to land near the south pole.
Their mission aimed primarily at checking out the composition of lunar soil, and has so far detected sulfur, aluminum, calcium, iron, chromium, titanium, manganese, silicon, and oxygen.
They achieved another lunar first by measuring the temperature at the south pole, and the rover also took a selfie before powering down through the lunar night.
The rover is getting much of the glory, but the Vikram lander, equipped with an Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA), has been monitoring for movements.
According to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), it’s picked something up, too.
“ILSA comprises a cluster of six high-sensitivity accelerometers, which are indigenously fabricated using the Silicon Micromachining process. The core sensing element consists of a spring-mass system with comb-structured electrodes. External vibrations lead to a deflection of the spring, resulting in a change in capacitance which is converted into voltage.”
It’s detecting the movement of the rover, but also a “seemingly natural” event they are currently investigating.
Quakes have been detected on the Moon before and have provided valuable data about the Moon’s makeup. The data points to the Moon having an inner core of about 31o miles across, and that it is less dense than the Earth’s.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
In-situ Scientific ExperimentsInstrument 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— ISRO (@isro) August 31, 2023
Quakes on the moon are not thought to be caused by the movements of tectonic plates, but by the Earth’s gravity causing tidal stress on the moon.
This cracks it and the pieces rub together, causing the quakes.
Astronauts across the world are hoping the readings from the Vikram lander will give us even more information, so we can learn even more.
It’s amazing what can happen when humans work together, don’t you think?
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