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Time of India
07-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Study links Kopargaon meteorite to historic Japanese mission
Pune: A meteorite that crashed through the roof of Kiran Babanrao Thakre's house at Kopargaon village in Ahilyanagar district of Maharashtra has astonished scientists by revealing a direct link to Itokawa — the asteroid that Japan's Hayabusa mission famously sampled and brought back to Kopargaon meteorite wasn't just any space rock. Tests conducted at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), under the Union govt's department of space, in Ahmedabad showed that it shared striking similarities with samples collected from asteroid Itokawa by Japan's Hayabusa spacecraft — the first mission to ever return with samples from an asteroid to Earth."The space rock, which left a two-inch crater in Thakre's bedroom floor and shattered into pieces weighing less than 1kg, contained similar rare mineral composition as samples retrieved by the Japanese spacecraft in 2010," said Dwijesh Ray, the PRL scientist involved in the in 2010 accomplished what was once thought impossible. It collected dust from an asteroid and returned to Earth."We've only been able to visit a handful of asteroids with spacecraft, so having a piece of one land in someone's house gives us an opportunity to study these ancient objects without the expense of another space mission. This unexpected link between a village in Maharashtra and Japan's famous space programme offers fresh insights into our solar system's turbulent past, revealing new details about the cosmic processes that shaped Earth and neighbouring planets billions of years ago," Ray said meteorites that could be traced back to their exact asteroid source were incredibly rare. "We know meteorites come from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, but usually, we can't tell exactly which asteroid they came from. This match with Itokawa is crucial because it allows us to connect what we see in space with what lands on Earth," Ray like the Kopargaon specimen are known as chondrites — ancient rocks that formed over 4.5 billion years ago and contain clues about the solar system's earliest days. "They may even have delivered water and the raw ingredients for life to early Earth. By linking meteorites to their parent asteroids, we can better predict how asteroid surfaces evolve, which helps in planning future space missions, resource exploration and even planetary defence," he said."Space agencies worldwide are now sending missions to collect samples from different types of asteroids. These missions help identify which meteorites come from which asteroids, study valuable minerals that might be mined in the future and learn how space conditions affect asteroid surfaces. Understanding asteroids better also helps scientists develop plans to protect Earth from potential impacts," Ray added.
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.
Indian Express
30-04-2025
- Science
- Indian Express
Potential presence of primitive lunar mantle material at landing site: Study
The Shiv Shakti point, where the world's first lunar landing was facilitated by India's Chandrayaan 3 in 2023, could hold a promising potential site for scientists to study the most primitive mantle samples on the lunar surface. The Shiv Shakti point is located at the southern high-latitude highlands of the nearside of the Moon. Scientists from Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) used data gathered by Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer onboard the Pragyan rover. They compared metal remnants and elemental concentrations of sulfur, potassium, sodium among others at the Shiv Shakti point where Chandra-yaan 3 landed on August 23, 2023. Sulfur, potassium and sodium can give insights into the mantle composition and chemistry. 'There is an anomalous depletion in sodium and potassium at the site, whereas there is an enrichment in sulfur found in the soils at the highland landing site,' said the study published in the journal Nature Communications Earth and Environment. Detailing its significance and the plausible reasons for both depletion and abundance of certain metals, the researchers said, 'There is a potential presence of primitive lunar mantle materials at the landing site, which was excavated during formation of the South Pole-Aitken basin, around 4.3 Ga (billion years) ago and may have got redistributed by subsequent impacts on the SPA basin ejecta. While the primitive mantle contributed to the excess sulfur, it later got mixed up with the materials at the landing site,' the paper noted. The South Pole-Aitken basin is one of the largest known impact craters on the lunar surface. The low levels of sodium and potassium at the Shiv Shakti point, the researchers said, could suggest that these elements may not have originally existed at the place and time of the very formation of the SPA basin. The variations in the elemental concentrations revealed by Chandrayaan 3 data has overturned findings made by previous lunar missions — the Apollo 16 and Luna 20 by the US and the Soviets, respectively. According to the PRL team, Chandrayaan 3 data noted the concentration of sulfur to be 300-500 parts per million higher than in soils gathered by the above missions. The Indian team is studying this anomalous difference in the concentrations and trace the causes at the landing site.
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.
