#NASA #Chandrayaan1 #LunarMission #moon #space #InterplanetaryRadar #satellite
India’s first lunar mission – Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, which was generally considered lost – is still orbiting the Moon, NASA scientists have found with new technological application of their interplanetary radar.
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) had lost communication with Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft on August 29, 2009, not even a year after it was launched (October 22, 2008).
NASA determined the 1.5 m cube satellite was still orbiting the moon at a distance of 200 kms from the surface. NASA mentioned that optical telescopes are unable to search for small objects hidden in the bright glare of the moon, however with the interplanetary radar, NASA was able to spot the spacecraft.
Initially the researchers weren’t certain that the interplanetary radar would be able to detect the spacecraft because of its small size and its distance from Earth, but Chandrayaan-1 proved the perfect target for demonstrating the capability of the radar.
LiveSid 