Dr. Annadurai Lecture on Chandrayaan

Dr. M. Annadurai, Project Director of Chandrayaan 1, came to Chennai for delivering a lecture on Chandrayaan in Shaastra, a technical festival conducted by IIT Madras, on October 6. The Key information from his lecture is as follows

• The main aim of the project was not just to develop lunar science but to understand the moon itself.

• Previous coverage of the moon was restricted only to some areas, but Chandrayaan will cover entire moon.

• Also, nine lunar missions from the earth that took place between 1958 and 1976 were mainly due to the competition between the USA and the USSR, to prove their technical supremacy. But, Chandrayaan will look for fossil fuels on moon and thus becomes more important.

• By the year 2010, Chandrayaan will provide for the first time the entire coverage of the moon, including its polar regions.

• The lunar mission also gains importance in the light of space tourism and as an alternative establishment for human civilization due to the burgeoning population on earth.