Dreams of establishing a manned Moon base could become reality within two
decades after India’s first lunar mission found evidence of large quantities
of water on its surface.
Data from Chandrayaan-1 also suggests that water is still being formed on the
Moon. Scientists said the breakthrough — to be announced by Nasa at a press
conference today — would change the face of lunar exploration.
The discovery is a significant boost for India in its space race against
China. Dr Mylswamy Annadurai, the mission’s project director at the
Indian
Space Research Organisation in Bangalore, said: “It’s very satisfying.”
The search for water was one of the mission’s main objectives, but it was a
surprise nonetheless, scientists said.The unmanned craft was equipped with
Nasa’s
Moon
Mineralogy Mapper, designed specifically to search for water by picking
up the electromagnetic radiation emitted by minerals. The M3 also made the
unexpected discovery that water may still be forming on the surface of the
Moon, according to scientists familiar with the mission.
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