Chandrayan-2 To Soft Land In 17 hours, Still Have Many Challenges To Overcome
Mumbai: Chandrayan-2 is in some final hours of its journey to the moon and once it soft lands it would be the greatest accomplishment of Chandrayaan-2. Unlike any other satellite which is at very high velocity around the moon, Chandrayan-2 when it lands it cannot have that velocity while landing.
The space expert and wing commander Dr. Mukund Rao said, “Unlike a satellite which is at a very high velocity which is orbiting a moon, here Chandrayan will be orbiting at around 2-3km at 100km height. When it lands it can’t have the velocity as that of the satellite. So, it needs the process of reducing the velocity in a very step by step manner as it approaches the surface of the moon.”
Dr. Rao further said the biggest challenge now faced by Chandrayan is the process of reducing its velocity and in a very organized and gradual manner. He said, “So, this is the big challenge as it (Chandrayan) is moving from 2 to 3 km per second the reducing its velocity to 3 meters per second as the Chandrayan approaches the moon and then virtually making it 0 m/s as it touches down. This will be the biggest accomplishment that will occur in the latter part of the day.”
The Chandrayan will be soft landing on the moon, Dr. Rao said that the soft landing is complex as the scientists don’t actually know the terrain of the moon.
He added, “We don’t know where the rocks? Where are segments, soils, craters, and stuff? So the technology of soft landing in Chandrayaan-2 helps to map the terrain, it tries to simulate and analyze the data in a real time basis. As the craft comes down, the sensors in Vikram will be measuring the height and the terrain and then autonomously calculating the terrain and its characteristics on a real-time basis. And using it in the software to again module the process of breaking and breaking that is to be done to reduce the velocity and ultimately touch down in a soft way.”
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