Chandrayaan-3: A Groundbreaking Milestone in Lunar Seismic Exploration

Introduction

• The lunar surface of the Moon’s south pole, India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission recorded over the Apollo missions in detecting more than 250 seismic signals.
• This is a quite groundbreaking discovery that introduced a new possibility in the field of lunar adventures, especially seismic activities and the ways these can reveal the inner geological activities of the Moon. The instruments used in Chandrayaan-3 have aided in understanding the lunar seismic records and at the same time created a vision for future moon missions.
• In this blog, we will explore the nature of these signals, the technology behind them and the general importance of this discovery for further lunar missions.
• We will also discuss the history of Chandrayaan-3 and how it is related to India’s robust space plan.

The Importance of Seismic Signals in Lunar Exploration

• Seismic data are the means to obtain the information about geophysical interior of celestial bodies.
• On Earth, seismic data has assisted in the identification of the planet’s interior including the core, mantle and crust.
• As with the solar case, Moon’s seismicity carries valuable information about lunar subsurface, faults, and fractures, and tectonic activity.
• Chandrayaan-3, revealed more than 250 seismic signals out of which 50 are thought to have been caused by some source and hence, most probably, moonquakes.
• Such moonquakes are similar to the quakes here on Earth, but they happen at the Moon because of various reasons such as expansion and contraction due to heat, tides brought about by the Earth’s gravity and finally impacts on the Moon’s surface by meteoroids.

Why Is This Significant?

• First Detection from the Moon’s South Pole:
  • This is the first time that astronauts have been able to capture seismic signals coming out from the South Pole of the moon which is relatively still unknown.
  • The south pole is considered as an attractive one because of the extreme environment on the pole and the water ice that may be present in the permanently shadowed area.
• Insights into Moon’s Interior:
  • This detection of these seismic signals might give the keys to the formation of the internal structure of the Moon, to if the Moon is still tectonically active or not and what is going on beneath its surface.
• Foundation for Future Missions:
  • Thus, the collected data define the steps for further lunar missions, especially those focusing on the south pole of the moon. Seismic activity is still an important aspect to consider when planning for human habitation of the lunar surface for long-term in that they determine stability of the ground on which bases or outpost are likely to be established.

Technological Breakthroughs: Instrumentation and Data Collection

In terms of the technology used in Chandrayaan-3, it will boast of innovative means that will help in the attainment of its mission objectives. The Lunar Seismic Profiling Experiment or LPSE was another important component of the instrumentation used to detect seismic signals which included signals from the moon’s interior.

The Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA)

• The ILSA which was placed on the Vikram lander was functional between the 24th of August to September the 4th of 2023. Positioned at coordinates 69.37° S and 32.32° E, It is the first time in human history that ILSA is the first instrument to incorporate the MEMS (Micro- Electro-Mechanical Systems ) in the moon. The design implemented in the MEMS technology makes them small and efficient in performance, which make them appropriate for space missions where size and mass of the instruments matter.
  • Silicon Micromachining: ILSA employs enhanced silan micromachining technologies used to capture low frequencies of seismic oscillation with high sensitivity. This technological development was useful in capturing the seismograms of the movements sensed by Chandrayaan-3.
  • Operational Efficiency: But the harsh environment on the lunar surface did not seem to affect ILSA and it was operational for more than ten days while providing a constant flow of data which is being scrutinized by the scientific community.

Data Collection and Analysis

• Out of 250 seismic signals that were recorded, about two thirds were identified as an outcome of the missions operations.
• These signals are due to movement of Pragyan rover and functioning of scientific instruments such as ChaSTE, Thermal probe for Chandra Surface and Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer(APXS).
• Still, the other 50 signals were categorized as “unrelated” indicating that they had no association with mission activities.
• Most of these signals are independent of each other; these are the most interesting signals as may be indicating natural moonquakes.
  • Longest Continuous Seismic Signal: Among the key observations, the first of them was the discovery of a continuous seismic signal of the Earth which was registered for 14 minutes. This is the longest such signal ever detected on the Moon and is an object of study to identify the reason for that.
  • Potential for Moonquakes: The signals which were not correlated with altitude by ILSA might be moonquakes thus enhancing understanding of seismic activity on the lunar surface. Earlier mission lunar missions, including the Apollo program, captured seismology in the moon as part of their lunar activities but the Chandrayaan 3 targeted the south pole.

Scientific Implications and Future Investigations

• The information on the Moon seismic activity which was captured by Chandrayaan-3 has been quite famous in scientific circles already.
• A study with regards to the results of the research was documented and printed in the ICARUS scientific journal.
• The paper also stresses on these P-Segments seismic signals which should be studied further to understand their origins.

Key Scientific Questions

• Is the Moon Tectonically Active? One the many questions that may be compelling from these trends is whether the Moon is still tectonically active. Moonquakes might be evidence of active geological processes, presence of which would be a landmark find.
• What Causes Moonquakes? Till date, the specific cause of moonquakes has not been identified, but some of the proposed cause includes thermal contraction as well as expansion, tidal movements originating from the earth, and meteoroids impact.
• Can We Use Seismic Data to Map the Moon’s Interior? To this end, it is expected that the type of seismic waves recorded by ILSA will improve the depiction of Moon’s interior just like seismic waves in Earth are employed for mapping of the Earthous interior.

Future Missions and Exploration

Finding earthquake at the Moon’s south pole, it is clear that it is not a one-time deal. Future moon expeditions such as the Artemis program of NASA is anticipated to base on these discoveries. Knowledge about the seismic events is necessary if the ultimate lunar goal of the establishment of a lunar base camp is to be achieved since it can reveal details of surface stability and areas to construct structures.

Chandrayaan-3: A Leap Forward in India’s Space Ambitions

• Unveiled for launch on July 14, 2023, Chandrayaan-3 is the third lunar mission of India after the earlier ones, Chandrayaan-1 and Chandrayaan -2.
• In contrast with Chandrayaan-2 mission, Chabndrayaan-3 does not have an orbiter component.
• it focuses on a lander (Vikram) and a rover (Pragyan), with the primary objective of achieving a soft landing and demonstrating the ability to move on the lunar surface..

Why the South Pole?

• The lunar farside, particularly the south pole area, has been identified as area of high interest for exploration Because the permanently shadowed areas contain water ice.
• The South Pole of the Moon is actually the earth facing side of the Moon or the near side of the Moon but it is called as farside because it is more distant from us than the lunar equator point that is on the near side of the Moon.
• In the light of future potential lunar exploration the water is significant for the motive, making drinking water and as feedstock for fuel creation as well as for oxygen generation.

Chandrayaan-3’s Legacy

Chandrayaan-3 has not only augmented India space programme but has indeed added value to the worldwide scientific society’s lunar knowledge. With identifying the seismic activity from the south pole site, Chandrayaan-3 has laid down the new areas for discoveries from the moon and future lunar missions.

Conclusion: Paving the Way for Future Exploration

• With the KL2 set up in the Moon’s equatorial region, Chandrayaan-3 has observed more than 250 seismic events; of which 50 have been previously unidentified in other missions.
• This mission is a demonstration of innovation, technology and even collaboration on the international level for a better understanding of lunar surfaces.
• Chandrayaan-3 will, therefore, be vital when space agencies in various countries prepare future lunar voyage with a view of charting the research on the moon.
• Currently the Moon has its south pole, which is a new appealing area for exploration, so the chance of discovery are higher than ever.

FAQs

Q1: What is the Chandrayaan-3 mission?
Ans: Chandrayaan-3 is India’s third lunar mission, launched on July 14, 2023. It aims to achieve a soft landing on the Moon’s surface and conduct exploration, particularly around the south pole region. The mission consists of a lander (Vikram) and a rover (Pragyan), without an orbiter.

Q2: What is the significance of the seismic signals detected by Chandrayaan-3?
Ans: Chandrayaan-3 has detected over 250 seismic signals from the Moon’s south pole, including 50 unique ones that may indicate moonquakes. This discovery is significant because it provides the first seismic data from this region of the Moon, helping scientists understand the Moon’s internal structure and seismic activity.

Q3: What is a moonquake?
Ans: A moonquake is similar to an earthquake but occurs on the Moon. They can be caused by factors like thermal expansion, tidal forces from Earth, and impacts from meteoroids.

Q4: What technology did Chandrayaan-3 use to detect seismic signals?
Ans: The seismic signals were detected using the Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA), a device based on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology. ILSA uses silicon micromachining techniques to capture even subtle seismic vibrations.