Water on moon detected by India's own MIP: ISRO chief

Bangalore, Sept 25 (PTI) The presence of water on lunar
surface was detected by India's own Moon Impact Probe (MIP) on
Chandrayaan-I, a finding confirmed by US space agency NASA
which also had an instrument onboard the craft, Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman G Madhavan Nair said in
this south Indian city on Friday.

By establishing the presence of water signatures on moon,
the country's maiden lunar mission made a "path- breaking" and
"real discovery", Nair said at a press conference here.

The MIP while descending from Chandrayaan-I to moon,
picked up strong signals of water particles, he said.

"However, the signatures of waters are not in the form of
sea, lake or even as a puddle or not even a drop. You cannot
pick it up just like that," he said.

"It is embedded on the surface in the minerals and rocks
and we have clear indication that the hydroxil (OH) as water
molecules are present on the surface, may be at least for a
few millimetres," he said.

According to Nair, the "quantity found is much larger
than what was expected which is a real finding".

Apart from India's MIP, the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3)
of NASA on board Chandrayaan-I also confirmed the presence of
water. (MORE) PTI AJ
SDE


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