Indian space mission finds oxygen and other important elements in lunar soil | Journal da Globo

Indian space mission finds oxygen and other important elements in lunar soil

The Indian Space Research Organization announced on Tuesday (29) that the Indian probe Chandrayaan-3And confirmed, which last week achieved an unprecedented landing at the south pole of the moon, the presence of oxygen in the lunar soil.

In addition to oxygen, there is also sulfur and substances such as aluminum, iron, calcium, titanium, manganese, and silicon.

The probe continues to explore the region in search of the water ice necessary to establish permanent bases to house the astronauts. The Indian lunar module is expected to continue operating for another week.

An Indian space mission finds oxygen and other important elements in the lunar soil – Image: Reproduction / Jornal da Globo

The first country to land on the south pole of the moon

The surface of the moon, where the Indian probe landed, is a treacherous terrain with large craters and steep slopes, in addition to receiving no sunlight, which leads to temperatures as low as -203 degrees Celsius.

These characteristics make it very difficult to operate exploration equipment in the region. In this way, a soft landing means that the unit is not destroyed.

India is seeking to explore the moon, because the first space flight of this project, which took place in 2008, revealed the presence of water on the surface of the moon.