• Investment World
• eWorld
• Brand Line
• Mentor
• Life
• Brand Quest
• The New Manager
• BL Club
• Smartbuy

Stocks

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

Cross Currency

• Rates
  
  

Shipping

• Ports
  
  

Archives

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources
• In Focus
• In Depth
• Events 2007

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• The Hindu ePaper
• Business Line
• Business Line ePaper
• Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

Our Bureau

Bangalore, Nov. 10

The Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft that now orbits Moon is set to get closer and reach its final home on Tuesday or Wednesday. Two more manoeuvres are needed, on Monday night and on Tuesday, before the spacecraft is slotted in the planned orbit 100 km distant from Moon, ISRO’s spokesman, Mr S. Satish, said.

Soon thereafter, all eyes are on the next big Indian moment in deep space when scientists at the Spacecraft Control Centre here release the Moon Impact Probe on to the lunar surface; MIP, with the Tricolour painted on it, will herald India’s ‘landing’ on Moon. The 29-kg probe will record the descent as it crashlands.

MIP’s release is planned for between November 13 and 15, a day after checking the instruments onboard, Mr Satish said. The spacecraft launched on October 22 has been in the lunar field since November 8.

The SCC team made the first lunar orbit lowering operation late on Sunday night. This eased it from 500 km to 200 km at the nearest point to Moon (periselene). Till Monday night, the lunarcraft was going round Moon in the elliptical path once in ten-and-a-half hours. The ‘aposelene’ or the farthest point was at 7500 km from Moon. All instruments on Chandrayaan-1 are performing well, ISRO said.

More Stories on : Science & Technology

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line