Web Chat: with father of India's moon mission

FINAL FRONTIER: Dr Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan explains the purpose behind Chandrayaan 1 mission.

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India’s space research programme will take a giant leap forward on Wednesday when lunar explorer Chandrayaan 1 blasts off from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. What will India gain from the lunar mission? Is India going to send an astronaut to the moon next? IBNLive readers got a chance to ask this to Dr Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan, former chairperson of Indian Space Research Organisation and the father of the Chandrayaan 1 mission.

Dr Kasturirangan steered India’s space programme for over nine years as chairperson of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He was also the chairperson of Space Commission and secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Space. Under his leadership, India successfully launched and operationalised the PSLV and GSLV satellites.

He is currently a Rajya Sabha MP. Excerpts from a chat with IBNLive readers on Monday:

Jyoti Singh: What is new in this lunar mission?

Dr Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan: This mission is unique because of several new features of scientific observational capabilities not achieved by any of the previous missions. The topography of the moon as well as mapping of the surface of the moon will be done at a level of precision which will improve the understand the gravitational field of the moon, the detailed chemical composition of the studies will throw light on the aspects of the moons origin and lastly this mission seeks to find unambiguous answers to the presence of water in the form of ice.

Anandpal: Why are we doing something which has been done 30 years ago?

Dr Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan: :There is considerable interest among the space-faring nations to revisit moon. The reasons include availability of better technologies, better sensor systems to conduct scientific studies as well as the possibility of expanded on planetary exploitation in the coming decades as the humankind moves towards expanding its outreach its locations in the solar system. Therefore, this second phase of lunar exploration is much more focussed in terms of science, technology, exploration and finally creating habitats either for exploiting lunar resources or as a take off point to the other parts of the solar system.

KT: Why is India spending crores on the moon mission? Americans have money so let them spend. Satellites and mobile and infrastructure development is ok. Why waste money trying to prove something to someone?

Dr Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan: I can add to this that the fundamental question of origin and evolution of moon is yet to be scientifically satisfactorily answered.

Secondly, it provides ISRO with an upgradation of various technologies and techniques such as control guidance and navigation, trajectory design and deep space communication etc. The Chandrayaan 1 is truly an inspirational mission for the new generation.

Lastly, as the humankind makes major plans to explore the solar system India should have the necessary credentials for being part of this adventure and all this for a cost of less than Rs 300 crore.

Abhishek: What is the risk of Chandrayaan bouncing off Moon's orbit (not being captured into its orbit) into deep space? Conversely, is there a risk, of the spacecraft crashing into the moon?

Dr Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan: It is a very interesting point that you have raised. The trajectory analysis right from take- off of the launch vehicle to injection into a lunar trajectory of the spacecraft and finally inserting into the pre-planned lunar orbit is one of the important challenges of the mission.

I recall that in the early phase of such lunar missions involving Soviet Union and USA there were situations of spacecraft bouncing off moon's orbit or unplanned crash into the moon. But with better modelling capabilities, improved understanding of the gravitational fields of the earth and the moon and in-situ tracking of the spacecraft during its transit to the moon and later around the moon today such eventualities are much less probable.