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New Delhi
25 September 2009
India is triumphant at the role played by its inaugural moon mission in
helping gather evidence that there is water on the moon. Indian scientists hope the latest
discovery will bring international recognition to its space program.
The
announcement that there is evidence of water on the moon has been made
by the U.S. space agency, NASA, after data from their instruments on
board an Indian satellite and two other satellites was analyzed.
The
unmanned Indian spacecraft, Chandrayan, was launched to orbit the moon
last October by the Indian space agency, but the mission was terminated
last month after scientists lost communication with the satellite.
However,
data gathered before the Chandrayan mission was aborted has shown that
very fine films of water particles coat the particles that make up the
lunar surface. Scientists say it is not enough moisture for homegrown
life on the moon but if it were to be processed in mass quantities it
might provide drinking water for future moon-dwellers.
The head
of India's space agency, G. Madhavan Nair, called it a "path breaking
find" and said that Indians should be proud of the fact that Chandrayan
played a role in the discovery.
"I am proud to announce that our
Chandrayan I has confirmed presence of water molecules on the surface
of the moon," he said. "One of the main objectives of Chandrayan was to
look for water on the lunar surface. The instruments, especially the
mineral mapping instrument of NASA has caught the signature very
clearly. "
Nair said the Indian satellite had helped point the NASA-made instrument to the right location and the right spot.
Indian
scientists say the latest discovery shows that the country's inaugural
moon mission was a huge success and not a failure even though it was
prematurely terminated.
Indian newspapers also greeted India's
role in the find. The leading daily Times of India called it a "One
Big Step for India, Giant Leap for Mankind."
Finding evidence of
water on the moon is seen by scientists as a key step in enabling
mankind to set up bases on the moon for further probes. Until now they
had advanced the theory that the moon is dry.
Scientists say further studies will be needed to establish the quantity and quality of water on the moon.
India
has been scaling up its space program in recent years, wanting to join
other major space faring nations like USA, Russia and China. And the
role it has played in establishing the presence of water on the moon is
seen as a significant advance for its space program.
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