This picture, taken by Chandrayaan-1’s Terrain Mapping Camera on Saturday, shows many large and small craters on the Moon’s polar region. The bright terrain on the lower left is the rim of the 117-km wide Moretus crater.
This is the first picture of the moon taken by the Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC) on Nov 15, 2008. It was taken when Chandrayaan-1 was on moon’s polar region. The picture shows the rim of the 177- km wide Moretus crater.
One Nov 13, it took several pictures of the equatorial region of the moon. A part of the Torricelli crater was also pictured.
The Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC) also took several pictures on Nov 13 The picture shows a part of the equatorial region, including the Torricelli crater on.
This is the picture of moon's surface taken from lunar orbit by Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft's Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC) on November 13, 2008. Taken over the equatorial region of the moon, the picture shows the uneven surface of the moon with numerous craters. On the lower left, part of the Torricelli crater is seen.
The Hindu has a report on another payload of Chandrayaan-1 — Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument (LLRI) – being switched on. It works on the same principle of a sonar that is used to measure the height/distance of objects from the instrument.
LLRI can help scientists find the height of mountains and depth of craters and valleys very accurately. If the signal comes back to the instrument earlier than for a 100-km distance, it will mean that there is a mountain or an elevated structure. Likewise, if the signal comes back late, it will mean that the region being studied is a crater or a valley.
This data will be combined with the data got from the Terrain Mapping Camera, and will help in understanding the topography of the moon accurately. It will also help in understanding the internal structure of the moon and its origin.
The LLRI will be able to take 10 measurements per second. And the data will be collected throughout the day. Unlike the Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC), the LLRI does not depend on light conditions to take measurements.
My latest top posts are:
1) 3D video of moon taken by Terrain Mapping Camera
2) Pictures of moon taken by Moon Impact Probe
Tags: Chandrayaan-1, ISRO, LLRI, Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument, MIP, Moon Impact probe, Moretus crater, Terrain mapping camera, TMC, Torricelli crater
