India's Chandrayaan Blasts Off To The Moon!

That big crater on the left side from ISRO's pic should be less than 5 kms in radius!! correct me someone if I am wrong

[edit on 18-11-2008 by wolfgang1711]

Originally posted by manticore
The Japanese, the Indians and the Chinese. They're leaving us in the US behind. Or, have we been there already and have kept it quiet?

Sorry but why do you see it this way? NASA's own instruments are on board. Its truely international effort by the Indians. OH I am excited about the German instrument.
I cant feel the same about the japs or the chinese though!

This is awesome resolution! Armap thanks indeed for that post and comparison. I was wondering which part of Moretus was mapped there! You showed this so well in that post!

Sentinel: Great map of the Moons motion with ref to Earth orbit. Exactly what i was referring to. The probability of craters existing on the red dot area are hugely lesser to those of other areas of the Lunar surface. The furhter one goes from that spot the more the probability of craters. So are there lesser craters on the near side for those reasons. Thanks for putting the question up so well!!

www.airspacemag.com...
now read this

reply to post by ArMaP


hmmmm...
If I were the suspicious type I might note that the sun angle in the Clementine shot is the same as the Chandrayaan shot.

Coincidence?

reply to post by ArMaP


Could you share the original (w/o the red C-yaan overlay) Clementine Photo too?

Originally posted by Phage
reply to post by ArMaP

 

hmmmm...
If I were the suspicious type I might note that the sun angle in the Clementine shot is the same as the Chandrayaan shot.

Coincidence?

Hmmm... Firstly, thanx to friend ArMaP for the comparison of the Clementine and Chandrayaan images. The res of the latter is fantastic! 5m per pixel compared to Clementine's 100m per pixel!!

Now as regards the sun angle, I wonder if both the images were taken during the same lunar time, producing similar shadows?

[edit on 18-11-2008 by mikesingh]

Originally posted by mikesingh

Now as regards the sun angle, I wonder if both the images were taken during the same lunar time, producing similar shadows?

That would be the mundane explanation.

Originally posted by zorgon
And they made you a document archivist?

Yeah - only because i volunteered

The near side does indeed ALWAYS face the Earth because the moon is tidal locked with the Earth, except for a small discrepancy that allows us to see a little more than half. The moon rotates ONCE for every orbit around Earth.

Well i got it half right Z

I sincerely apologies to all. I misunderstood an explanation i heard ages ago.

I truly find it amazing how many people here at ATS still have difficulty understanding this and that there is no dark side, yet those same people seem to think they know whats going on out there

Nope, i do not know much of anything going on out there, IF you were perhaps referring to me I do admit it - yet again, I know more of "lots of stuff" than others "out there" but it has nothing to do with space, Mars and the moon - unfortunately

So again, forgive my stupidity on the subject.

Thanks Z for pointing out my shortcomings so eloquently rather a fool for a day than a lifetime they say i guess... and there is no sarcasm intended.

[edit on 18/11/2008 by shearder]

Some here have mentioned that the Moon was formed by a collision with a Mars sized body a few billion years ago.

Now consider this: The diameter of the Moon is 3500km. A mass that big would have left a hole/deep depression in the earth at least 500km deep considering that that some of the Moon formed out of the rubble that coalesced in space due to the early Moon's gravitational pull. Now consider a hole 500km deep!

The Mariana Trench (or Marianas Trench) is the deepest part of the world's oceans, and the deepest location on the surface of the Earth's crust. It has a maximum depth of only 10.9 km! So where and how has this deep 500km 'hole' disappeared?

Oh yes, probably magma, volcanic activity, tectonic shifts etc etc, have covered up this huge 500km deep 'hole'!! This depth is more than twice the orbit of the Space Shuttle, for Chrissake!!! Can the theory (that magma and volcanic activity covered this huge hole), hold much water??

500km is just arbitrary. It could have been more. A probable figure could have been 1/3rd of the diameter of the Moon, the rest of the Moon being formed out of accretion of dust/Earth rubble. That makes it about 1200km deep!! Even a few billion years of volcanic activity couldn't have covered this 'hole'!

If this theory about the formation of the Moon isn't logical, then it leaves the other two theories that need to be discussed. But all this in another thread!

Where are the astro-geologists? Theorists? Let the bashing begin!!!

Cheers!

reply to post by mikesingh


The collision did not create a hole. It was big, really, really big. It created enough heat to melt the entire planet. The development of our planet essentially went back to GO. Gravity pulled the Earth back into its spherical shape leaving a disc of stuff (yes, a ring) that coalesced into the moon.

[edit on 18-11-2008 by Phage]

Well the general theory is that the collision did not just 'dent' the Earth with a crater etc. of 'x' kms..

As a result of the impact the Earth was quite certainly 'destroyed' and then gravitational forces put things back together again; put two things together rather..

If I were the suspicious type I might note that the sun angle in the Clementine shot is the same as the Chandrayaan shot.

These are polar regions and the Moons rotational axis is almost perpendicular to the elliptical plane resulting in sustained long periods of lighting of the region for several months (upto 8 months?) in the region. However due to the presence of craters these also result in dark spots in the region. These consequently permanent dark spots shadowed and cold are where scientists think Ice can be found. Thus the probability of having the same lighting incidence or similar incidence is more likely in the Moons polar regions than not.

reply to post by contradunce


Do we know where the MIP impacted? Was it targeted for a possible icy location?

MIP impact was to be near the Malapert crater South Pole. I do not have the details but it seems they got the targetted impact point quite well. However the pictures of the Moretus crater we are comparing with Clementines is from the Terrain Mapping Camera on board the CY 1. The video imagery from the MIP (Impact probe) is not yet out and awaited. (Only two still images from the video have been released so far).

[edit on 19-11-2008 by contradunce]

Originally posted by contradunce
MIP impact was to be near the Malapert crater South Pole. I do not have the details but it seems they got the targetted impact point quite well. However the pictures of the Moretus crater we are comparing with Clementines is from the Terrain Mapping Camera on board the CY 1. The video imagery from the MIP (Impact probe) is not yet out and awaited. (Only two still images from the video have been released so far).

I understand the different imagery (as you pointed out to me before, thanks). I'm wondering if the impact point was selected in order to look for water vapor as a result of the impact.

No from what i know the impact point was not selected for finding ice, but as a precursor to landing a Rover mission in that area in a few years. The idea was to detach the probe, study the atmosphere on its descent, take high speed video imagery and transmit it to the mother ship while landing on the selected area/ point. For locating ice there are other instruments on board that will study the permanently dark crater regions of the South Pole. This is from what i have read about it. Awaiting though more info on the MIP.

Originally posted by ArMaP
I could finally make a comparison between one of the photos from Chandrayaan 1 and Clementine.

This is the same area from Clementine (with a resolution of 100 metres per pixel), with the reddish area showing the above image from Chandrayaan 1. (Click for full size)

Nice resolution.

Excellent find ArMaP Thanks a lot.

Originally posted by Phage
hmmmm...
If I were the suspicious type I might note that the sun angle in the Clementine shot is the same as the Chandrayaan shot.

Coincidence?

I'm with you. Both are EXACTLY the same except for the 5m resolution against 100m (or whatever) resolution. How could that be a coincidence? Does that also mean the sun creates same type of shadows all the year? Can some experts clarify it?

Originally posted by ArMaP
I could finally make a comparison between one of the photos from Chandrayaan 1 and Clementine.

This is a photo from Chandrayaan 1 (click for full size)

....

This is the same area from Clementine (with a resolution of 100 metres per pixel), with the reddish area showing the above image from Chandrayaan 1. (Click for full size)

...

Nice resolution.

Great job ArMap!! I say you live up to the "MaP" portion of your identity.

Originally posted by CosmicScorpion
...

Originally posted by Phage
hmmmm...
If I were the suspicious type I might note that the sun angle in the Clementine shot is the same as the Chandrayaan shot.
Coincidence?

I'm with you. Both are EXACTLY the same except for the 5m resolution against 100m (or whatever) resolution. How could that be a coincidence? Does that also mean the sun creates same type of shadows all the year? Can some experts clarify it?

I think contradunce got it right in this post. The Moretus Crater is located near the south pole, and so, when in the lighted region, the sun's angle should not make much difference for a longer duration of time, if at all.

[edit on 19/11/2008 by sentinel2107]