Chandrayaan-3 mission: What caused Vikram Lander to create 'ejecta halo'
Photo Credit: NASA
Know what the recent Chandrayaan-3 mission revealed about the Vikram lander landing event on August 23, 2023, that led to the fascinating 'ejecta halo'
Photo Credit: ISRO
Chandrayaan-3 mission landing craft, the Vikram Lander, landed on the lunar surface on August 23, which was a historic success for India and ISRO.
Photo Credit: ISRO
Now, experts revealed that the Vikram Lander landing actually created a huge dust storm on the lunar surface which itself created an “ejecta halo” of the Moon dust that was blown up into the air.
Photo Credit: ISRO
Ejecta is the lunar soil and rock that is ejected from a crater when a meteorite or asteroid collides with the Moon's surface.
Photo Credit: ISRO
But the question might arrive in your mind that how Vikram lander and create a crater while landing on the lunar south pole. Well, Vikram Lander landed there with its rockets firing.
Photo Credit: ISRO
During the landing, the lander stayed a few meters above the lunar ground and due to its thrusters, a huge amount of epiregolith ejected which created an ejecta halo pattern.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
As per reports, a whopping 2.06 tonnes of lunar epiregolith was removed from the moon’s surface while landing
Photo Credit: Pixabay
With the help of high-resolution panchromatic imagery obtained from the Orbiter High-Resolution Camera (OHRC) on the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, the scientist revealed that the ejecta estimated area is about 108.4 square meters.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
This discovery signifies the behaviour of lunar material and how the landing of the Chandrayaan-3 mission impacted the lunar soil.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
The creation of the ejecta halo at the Shiv Shakti Point will help scientists understand more about the lunar surface and its characteristics.
Photo Credit: ISRO
Now, ISRO is waiting for the revival of Vikram lander and Pragyan rover to begin the new phase of Chandrayaan-3 mission. However, sadly, that will likely not happen as weeks have passed and ISRO could not revive them.