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New Indian Express
02-05-2025
- Science
- New Indian Express
Study shows Shiva Shakti point ideal for lunar sample collection
BENGALURU: The Shiva Shakti Point, the landing site of Chandrayaan-3 moon lander Vikram, is significant not only as a milestone in India's space achievements but also as a key site for lunar sample collection. This has been confirmed by researchers from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in a recent study. According to scientists, the Chandrayaan-3 landing site offers a promising opportunity to access primitive mantle samples — materials that are notably absent in the current lunar collections obtained by other space agencies. Researchers from the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad analysed the presence of volatile elements near the Moon's south polar region. They used the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometers (APXS) onboard the Pragyan rover, as part of the Chandrayaan-3 mission. Their findings suggest that the site is highly suitable for future missions focused on sample collection and the study of the Moon's evolution. In their study, the scientists compared the elemental abundances measured by the APXS with existing datasets. They observed an unusual depletion of sodium and potassium, along with elevated levels of sulfur in the soil at the landing site. A recent study published in Nature Communications Earth and Environment, titled 'Chandrayaan-3 APXS Elemental Abundance Measurements at Lunar High Latitude', also confirmed the presence of primitive lunar mantle materials at the landing site. These materials were likely excavated during the formation of the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin about 4.3 billion years ago and were subsequently redistributed by later impacts on the SPA basin ejecta, the ISRO report stated. The primitive mantle is believed to have contributed to the excess sulfur, which mixed with other materials at the landing site. The low concentrations of sodium and potassium suggest that potassium, rare earth elements, and phosphorus (KREEP) were likely absent in this region during the SPA basin's formation.
Hindustan Times
01-05-2025
- Science
- Hindustan Times
Potential presence of primitive lunar mantle materials on Chandrayaan-3 landing site: Study
A new study by the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad, has found the potential presence of primitive lunar mantle materials, which is likely to have been formed during the formation of the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin 4.3 billion years ago, at the Chandrayaan-3 landing site. SPA basin is one of the Moon's largest and oldest impact features in the solar system. The Chandrayaan-3 landing site is located 350kms from the basin. Researchers said the findings, published in Nature Communications Earth and Environment on Wednesday, could aid in the study of the early evolution of the Moon. Analysing the concentrations of volatiles (chemical elements and compounds) measured by the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS), an instrument on-board the Pragyan rover at Shiv Shakti statio near the South Polar Region, the 12-member team found high levels of sulphur at the Chandrayaan-3 highland landing site in the range of 900-1400 ppm, which was 300-500 ppm (parts per million) higher than in soil samples from lunar highlands from in Apollo 16 and Luna 20 missions. However, the levels of sodium and potassium from the Chandrayaan-3 landing site was found to be much lower at 700-2800ppm and 300-400 ppm respectively as compared to the earlier missions. The APXS experiment was designed and developed by PRL, a unit of the department of space. Researchers said the differences in the concentrations of these volatile elements as compared to those found in Apollo 16 and Luna 20 missions make it important to investigate the probable source that led to their enrichment or depletion at the Chandrayaan-3 landing site. Explaining how the team arrived at the present conclusion, Rishitosh K Sinha, lead author of the study said that on the Moon, around 400-1000 ppm of sulphur can come from Type I carbonaceous chondrite (CC) meteorites crashing on the lunar surface. 'However, this is still less by 200-400 ppm than what APXS measured at the landing site. Moreover, the surface temperatures at the landing site, which is located at 70 degrees south in the Southern Polar region, is much higher for sulphur to condense in the plume as compared to if the site was closer (85-90 degrees) to the South Pole,' said Sinha. Closer to the South Pole, where surface temperatures are lower, sulphur can condense into solid form. Therefore, said Sinha, there had to be another source of sulphur that increased its concentration at the landing site. 'The other possible source for excess sulphur therefore would be the primitive lunar mantle material that would have thrown up during the SPA basin formation.' He further explained that the low levels of sodium and potassium at the Chandrayaan-3 landing site as opposed to the Apollo 16 and Luna 20 missions suggests that potassium, rare earth elements, and phosphorus (called KREEP) might not have existed at the place and time of SPA basin formation. 'This new finding therefore makes the Chandrayaan-3 landing site a promising site to access primitive mantle samples, which is otherwise lacking in the existing lunar collections,' said Sinha. Sinha said during the end of the lunar magma ocean (LMO) crystallisation stages, when the Moon's initial molten state solidified, the residual molten layer became enriched in a mineral called Troilite (FeS). 'We have proposed that the SPA basin impact event excavated this FeS from the sulphur-enriched primitive lunar mantle, while the KREEP layer was still in the process of formation. The subsequent impacts on the SPA basin ejecta stirred things up, mixing sulfur-rich materials from the SPA basin with the nearby material at the landing site,' he said. On August 23, 2023, the Chandrayaan-3 mission made the first successful landing in the South Polar region of the Moon following which APXS directly measured the elemental composition of the Moon's surface at Shiv Shakti statio, an unexplored location, in the southern high-latitude highlands of the nearside of the Moon. Last year, a study published in Nature by the same group had found evidence of high magnesium in the soil at the same landing site that could have originated from the deeper layers of the Moon. It provided clues for the presence of lower crust and/or upper mantle materials at the landing site. 'High magnesium also comes from the mantle. With evidence of high concentrations of sulphur now, the present study becomes robust since it complements the previous study.' Anil Bhardwaj, Director PRL, also a co-author in this study, said that finding primitive mantle material is important because Apollo and Luna missions only comprised collections of lunar samples. 'We really don't have samples from the lunar mantle. These samples are crucial to understand how the Moon was formed, what connection does it have with the Earth, presence and proportion of volatile elements in the lunar interior and how it evolved over time,' said Bhardwaj. Commenting on the significance of the study, Rajesh VJ, professor, department of earth and space sciences at the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, who was not involved with the study, said, the primitive mantle material from any planetary bodies is significant, as it provides vital information about the chemical composition of the early materials (rocks/minerals) present towards the deeper part (especially the mantle), before it underwent any sort of petrological modifications. Hence, these materials are used by geoscientists to understand the origin and early evolution of a planetary body. 'The discovery of sulphur-rich primitive mantle materials provides a rare opportunity for planetary scientists to conduct detailed investigations of the early evolution of the Moon. It provides the scientific community with more vital information about the composition of the lunar interior and its volatile contents,' he said.
Time of India
30-04-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Chandrayaan 3 gives world insight into 4.3bn-yr-old material on moon
1 2 Ahmedabad: In a major breakthrough in understanding the formation and composition of the Moon, scientists at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad analysed volatiles from an area around the South Polar region. This region is believed to host lunar primitive mantle materials ejected from a basin about 4.3 billion years ago. It is the first time a space agency analysed samples this old in this region of the Moon, reports Parth Shastri. The findings were recently published in the Nature journal 'Communications: Earth and Environment'. The study, ' Primitive lunar mantle materials at the Chandrayaan-3 landing site', is authored by Rishitosh Sinha, Neha Panwar, Neeraj Srivastava, Dwijesh Ray, and Anil Bhardwaj, among others. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad Anil Bhardwaj, director of PRL and a co-author of this study, said that this new finding makes the Chandrayaan-3 landing site a promising location to access primitive mantle samples, which are otherwise lacking in the existing lunar collections. The concentrations of volatile elements were measured at the Shiv Shakti Point in the South Pole region of the Moon using the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) onboard the Pragyan Rover of the mission. The readings from the volatile elements from the Shiv Shakti Point in the South Pole region were analysed by a PRL team. The results at the site showed a very different composition of elements such as sulphur, sodium, and potassium compared to the results of earlier missions such as Apollo, Luna, and Chang'e. The major result included relatively high sulphur content and relatively low sodium and potassium levels, primarily due to the location of the lander. Researchers said that the location of Chandrayaan 3 's landing in 2023 was close to the SPA basin, whereas the majority of the other missions landed near the Procellarum KREEP Terrane (PKT), an area rich in potassium and other incompatible elements, providing a limited view of the Moon's composition. Most importantly, the findings support the idea that the Chandrayaan 3 site holds some of the oldest and most primitive materials from the Moon's deep interior. The researchers at PRL said that the data not only reinforces the lunar magma ocean hypothesis but also opens new opportunities for studying ancient mantle materials. 'A comparison of the APXS measured abundances with the other available data revealed anomalous depletion in sodium and potassium, but enrichment in sulphur in the soils at the highland landing site. This study has revealed the potential presence of primitive lunar mantle materials at the landing site, which was excavated during the formation of the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin 4.3 Ga (4.3 billion years) ago and redistributed by subsequent impacts on the SPA basin ejecta,' read a release by ISRO on the groundbreaking discovery. The primitive mantle contributed to the excess sulphur, which mixed with the materials at the landing site, said Rishitosh Sinha, the lead author of this study. The low levels of sodium and potassium at the landing site suggest that the KREEP (potassium, rare earth elements, and phosphorus) might not have existed at the place and time of SPA basin formation, said Neha Panwar, a co-author of this study. Neeraj Srivastava, a co-author of this study, said that the primitive mantle samples are crucial for studying the early evolution of the Moon. Ahmedabad: In a major breakthrough in understanding the formation and composition of the Moon, scientists at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad analysed volatiles from an area around the South Polar region. This region is believed to host lunar primitive mantle materials ejected from a basin about 4.3 billion years ago. It is the first time a space agency analysed samples this old in this region of the Moon, reports Parth Shastri. The findings were recently published in the Nature journal 'Communications: Earth and Environment'. The study, 'Primitive lunar mantle materials at the Chandrayaan-3 landing site', is authored by Rishitosh Sinha, Neha Panwar, Neeraj Srivastava, Dwijesh Ray, and Anil Bhardwaj, among others. Anil Bhardwaj, director of PRL and a co-author of this study, said that this new finding makes the Chandrayaan-3 landing site a promising location to access primitive mantle samples, which are otherwise lacking in the existing lunar collections. The concentrations of volatile elements were measured at the Shiv Shakti Point in the South Pole region of the Moon using the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) onboard the Pragyan Rover of the mission. The readings from the volatile elements from the Shiv Shakti Point in the South Pole region were analysed by a PRL team. The results at the site showed a very different composition of elements such as sulphur, sodium, and potassium compared to the results of earlier missions such as Apollo, Luna, and Chang'e. The major result included relatively high sulphur content and relatively low sodium and potassium levels, primarily due to the location of the lander. Researchers said that the location of Chandrayaan 3's landing in 2023 was close to the SPA basin, whereas the majority of the other missions landed near the Procellarum KREEP Terrane (PKT), an area rich in potassium and other incompatible elements, providing a limited view of the Moon's composition. Most importantly, the findings support the idea that the Chandrayaan 3 site holds some of the oldest and most primitive materials from the Moon's deep interior. The researchers at PRL said that the data not only reinforces the lunar magma ocean hypothesis but also opens new opportunities for studying ancient mantle materials. 'A comparison of the APXS measured abundances with the other available data revealed anomalous depletion in sodium and potassium, but enrichment in sulphur in the soils at the highland landing site. This study has revealed the potential presence of primitive lunar mantle materials at the landing site, which was excavated during the formation of the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin 4.3 Ga (4.3 billion years) ago and redistributed by subsequent impacts on the SPA basin ejecta,' read a release by ISRO on the groundbreaking discovery. The primitive mantle contributed to the excess sulphur, which mixed with the materials at the landing site, said Rishitosh Sinha, the lead author of this study. The low levels of sodium and potassium at the landing site suggest that the KREEP (potassium, rare earth elements, and phosphorus) might not have existed at the place and time of SPA basin formation, said Neha Panwar, a co-author of this study. Neeraj Srivastava, a co-author of this study, said that the primitive mantle samples are crucial for studying the early evolution of the Moon.
The Hindu
30-04-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
New study on Chandrayaan-3's landing site reveals potential presence of primitive lunar mantle materials
In a new finding, scientists of the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) have revealed that the landing site (Shiv Shakti point) of the Chandrayaan-3 mission is a promising site to access primitive mantle samples, which was otherwise lacking in the existing lunar collections. The scientists have analysed the concentrations of volatile elements measured at Shiv Shakti station near the South Polar Region, using the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) onboard the Pragyan rover of the mission. 'A comparison of the APXS measured abundances with the other available data revealed anomalous depletion in sodium and potassium, but enrichment in sulfur in the soils at the highland landing site,' ISRO said. This study was published in the journal Nature Communications Earth and Environment. 'The study has revealed potential presence of primitive lunar mantle materials at the landing site, which was excavated during formation of the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin 4.3 Ga ago and redistributed by subsequent impacts on the SPA basin ejecta,' it added. It further said that the primitive mantle contributed the excess sulfur, which got mixed up with the materials at the landing site. 'The low levels of sodium and potassium at the landing site suggests that the KREEP (potassium, rare earth elements, and phosphorus) might not have existed at the place and time of SPA basin formation,' it said. The APXS payload also measured abundances of volatile elements, including sodium, potassium, and sulfur in the highland soils, and reported varied concentrations ranging from 700-2,800 ppm, 300-400 ppm, and 900-1,400 ppm, respectively PRL scientists made a detailed analysis of the abundances of these volatile elements and found the concentrations of sodium and potassium at the Chandrayaan-3 landing site was found to be much lower compared that found in the soil samples from lunar highlands in earlier missions (Apollo 16 and Luna 20), while the concentration of sulfur was found to be 300-500 ppm higher than in soils from Apollo 16 and Luna 20 missions. 'The anomalous differences in the concentrations of these volatile elements make it important to investigate the probable source that led to their enrichment or depletion at the Chandrayaan-3 landing site,' ISRO said. These findings make the Chandrayaan-3 landing site a promising place for future missions to collect samples, particularly to study the early evolution of the moon.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Nasa rover spots strange Martian rock that looks like ‘chocolate cake'
Nasa's Curiosity rover has spotted a strange rock formation on Mars that looks like a multilayered chocolate cake. The rover team faced a technical challenge to find a safe area on the Red Planet to deploy the space vehicle's APXS spectrometer and MAHLI camera instruments. They eventually managed to place the APXS equipment on top of a prominent rock to study its target Martian area, including layered rocks named 'Hale Telescope' after the famous astronomical landmark in San Diego, California. The rover imaged and conducted analyses of another target a little further from the Hale Telescope area called 'Fan Palm'. In all, the Curiosity rover completed a drive of some 23 meters in preparation for the study plan lasting three Martian days. Curiosity now has its instruments as well as the APXS spectrometer set on the 'cakey target', planetary scientist Scott Van Bommel from Washington University said in a Nasa blog post. 'Perhaps it was because of Easter last weekend, perhaps I needed an early lunch,' Dr VanBommel commented, 'whatever the cause, I could not shake the visual parallels between the rocks in our workspace as captured in this blog's image and a many-layered cake such as a Prinzregententorte.' The weathering patterns on the rock formation make it look like a 'layered cake that little fingers have picked the icing off,' researchers say. The spacecraft has undergone a new AI software upgrade, giving it greater autonomy to choose its next target, Nasa noted. An upgraded version of the Curiosity's AEGIS instrument would enable the rover to autonomously determine the target and analyse it with its chemical analysis equipment. The rover's encounter with the strange rock formation occurred just days after it was captured driving across the Red Planet for the first time from orbit. An image taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter showed Curiosity as a dark speck at the front of a trail of rover tracks about 320m long. Making tracks: From its vantage point in space, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter again captured the @MarsCuriosity rover, this time in mid-drive. The combination of eyes in the sky and wheels on the ground has helped us reveal the planet in new ways. — NASA Mars (@NASAMars) April 24, 2025 Since its landing at the Martian Gale Crater in August 2012, Curiosity has uncovered many details about the Red Planet's ancient habitability, helping find if it ever had the conditions to support microbial life. Its mobile science lab analyses rocks, soil and the Martian atmosphere, looking for chemical signatures of life. It has made several landmark discoveries, including evidence of ancient riverbeds, organic molecules, and past habitable environments. The rover has also helped determine the current Martian climate and radiation levels which could help future astronauts prepare for exploration.
