Pallava Bagla
Thursday, January 29, 2009 7:57 AM (Bangalore)
India's maiden mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-1 has been a remarkable success so far. The unmanned satellite is currently orbiting the moon, and it completes 100 days in space on Thursday.
To mark the occasion, about 100 lunar specialists from India and abroad are meeting in Bangalore to analyze the first results and to pave the way forward.
In 100 days, Chandrayaan-1 has sent back some spectacular images of the moon's surface. According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), all its instruments are working normally.
Among the first tasks of Chandrayaan was to send a special computer monitor-sized gadget hurtling down to the moon's surface, that was plastered with India's flag. It gets us the first look at the video taken by the moon probe as it approached the moon surface. It also brings us images of lunar regions never ever visualized in all previous moon missions.
India's lunar satellite Chandrayaan-1 is sending down incredible, never seen before images of the moon. It includes pictures taken as the moon impact probe worked its way down creating history.
There are over 100,000 pictures already with ISRO, which have been taken with amazing clarity. Spectacular three-dimensional views of the moon and its mountains at great resolution are available.
But what is exciting lunar explorers most are a set of images of the moon's very deep craters on the south pole, that have never ever been viewed till date.
"All the 11 instruments are functioning as expected and looking into details of the moon's regions and craters. Those are places which people have not seen before. Chandrayaan-1 baby is doing very well. Today, Chandrayaan-1 baby is a healthy baby doing what is expected," said M. Annadurai, Project Director, Chandrayaan-1, ISRO, Bangalore.
Chandrayaan is a two-year mission, and it is collecting data in humongous quantities. Its interpretation is a different ball game altogether, a realm where scientists tread gingerly. But hopefully, the moon's many mysteries may be solved through the Indian eye on the moon.