India announces new lunar discoveries
According to the Associated Press on August 29th, the Indian space agency said on Tuesday that nearly a week after achieving a historic lunar landing, the Indian lunar rover confirmed the presence of sulfur and detected several other elements while searching for signs of water ice near the south pole of the moon.
The Indian Space Research Organization announced on its website that the laser induced spectroscopy device of the lunar rover has also detected aluminum, iron, calcium, chromium, titanium, manganese, oxygen, and silicon on the surface of the moon.
This image provided by the Indian Space Research Organization shows the crater encountered by the lunar rover "Lungshan-3" captured by a navigation camera on August 27, 2023.
Last Wednesday, after the Indian spacecraft landed near the South Pole of the Moon, the lunar rover descended from an active ladder of the lander to the surface of the Moon. The Indian Space Research Organization has announced that the lunar rover, HMS-3, is expected to conduct a 14 day experiment.
The Indian Space Research Organization said that the lunar rover "clearly confirms the existence of sulfur.". It is still searching for signs of water ice: water ice may help future astronauts carry out missions as a potential source of drinking water or manufacturing rocket fuel.
The Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization, Somnat, said that the lunar rover will also study the lunar atmosphere and seismic activity.
On Monday of this week, when the lunar rover approached a 4-meter-wide crater, its path was reprogrammed. The Indian Space Research Organization said, "Now it has safely embarked on a new path."
This device moves slowly on the surface of the moon at a speed of about 10 centimeters per second to minimize the impact and damage caused by the rugged terrain of the moon.