The Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) will be sending three payloads (one each attached to the orbiter, lander and rover) as part of the Chandrayaan 2 mission.
Anil Bhardwaj, director, PRL, said that the orbiter will have the payload that will carry a solar x-ray monitor. Developed by PRL, this monitor will help measure the solar x-rays generated.
The payload, Chandra Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE), attached to the lander, will help them measure the sub-surface temperature too.
"The 'soil' on the moon is a known conductor and the mission will help us understand how heat from surface of the moon percolates down," said Bhardwaj.
The payload on the rover will help understand the alpha particles' sources and for the first time, give a glimpse into the chemical composition of the moon surface and its mineralogy, he said.
"The mission will also help us understand how water is distributed and give us a global map of water on the moon's surface," said Bhardwaj. He was speaking on the sidelines of the International Symposium on Equatorial Aeronomy (ISEA). Equatorial aeronomy is aimed at understanding the behaviour of the upper atmosphere of the Earth which is in close proximity of interplanetary space and is directly affected by solar disturbances.
Speaking at the inaugural function, AS Kiran Kumar, chairman, PRL council of management, cautioned that there was a need to make sure that life on Earth is sustainable and resources are not used up at a pace that makes it difficult to sustain life on the planet.
"The study in aeronomy can bring solutions to several problems to ensure sustainable living, including clean air. The knowledge can bring solution to many of our problems and it is imperative that we let the Earth remain livable," said Kiran Kumar.
FULL OF SPACE
George Joseph, chairman, advisory committee on space sciences at ISRO said the planetary studies started with Chandrayaan 1 followed by Mangalyaan. He said Chandrayaan 1 had first discovered water molecules on the sunlit side of the moon.
