Europe backs Indian Moon mission

[Talon]

Europe backs Indian Moon mission

Europe has agreed to support India in its quest to send a probe to the Moon.

The Chandrayaan 1 remote-sensing spacecraft is due to depart on the South Asian nation's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle in 2007/2008.

The European Space Agency (Esa) Council agreed this week to provide three instruments for the one-tonne probe.

Esa's counterpart, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), was founded in 1969, and launched its first satellite in 1975.

Since then, it has developed a number of launch vehicles as well as satellites for Earth observation, remote sensing, telecommunications and weather forecasting.

Together with China and Japan, it is part of a fast-developing Asian space sector.

The three instruments supplied for Chandrayaan 1 will be identical to those currently in orbit around the Moon on Esa's Smart 1 spacecraft - a demonstrator probe that is trialling new and miniaturised technologies.

Smart 1 has just begun a comprehensive survey of the key chemical elements in the lunar surface.

Scientists say this should confirm theories about the origin of the Moon - the product of a cataclysmic collision between the Earth and a Mars-sized body billions of years ago.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/sci/tech/4371587.stm

[AztecInca]

As they should, support and co-operation between nations in space exploration and study is essential for us to succeed out there! Working together will make everyones lives just that little bit easier!

[TheGreatWhiteHorse]

I would like the entire world to spend more time with the moon. It would be nice to seriously consider mining helium-3...and stop the 4.00 a gallon for freaking crude oil.

We can supposedly go to the moon but we still use fossil oil for every part of our lives. Insanity,

[Adramaleck]

I would like the entire world to spend more time with the moon.  It would be nice to seriously consider mining helium-3...and stop the 4.00 a gallon for freaking crude oil.

We can supposedly go to the moon but we still use fossil oil for every part of our lives.  Insanity,

551092[/snapback]

Mm, if we had some sort of tractor technology that might work, but the massive amounts of fuel it would take to get there and back, especially with all the needed cargo space to make it worthwhile... or if we just had better space technology.