31, Jul, 2010

Indian Moon Mission Almost Failed

Written by spacetravel.org

Thursday, 23 July 2009 15:28

Chandrayaan-1, India's lunar satellite, almost failed after overheating. On Friday, July 17, 2009, G. Madhavan Nair, chief of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), said the satellite lost its star sensor on May 16, 2009. The star sensor helps the satellite's camera and recording equipment remain oriented toward the Moon's surface. Three days after the sensor failed, the Chandrayaan-1 was moved from an orbit of 100 kilometers to 200 kilometers because the spacecraft's temperature had become too high.

On May 20, ISRO reported that the official reason for the move was to enable further studies of the Moon's orbit and gravitational field and to provide broader images of the lunar surface. However, it is now known that sudden overheating had caused the star sensor to collapse. The heat led ISRO to switch off most of the spacecraft's instruments.

Nair said that ISRO scientists had dealt with the lost star sensor by activating the satellite's gyroscopes. Chandrayaan-1 now maintains its position by using its gyroscopes and images taken by the orbiter. Nair and M Krishnashwamy, program director for remote sensor satellites, both stated that they were satisfied with the amount and quality of data that had been received from the orbiter, but Roddam Narasimha, an aerospace scientist, claims that the problems could have affected the accuracy of the data provided.

Nair said that over 90 percent of the mission's objectives had already been achieved, and said that the loss of the sensor would not affect Chandrayaan-1's lifespan.

One of Chandrayan-1's key goals is to find deposits of helium-3, which is thought to exist in great quantities on the Moon. Helium-3 might be able to power nuclear fusion reactors for hundreds of years.

Nair said that ISRO was hoping to land human beings on the Moon by 2015.

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