The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Tuesday said that Pragyan Rover has confirmed the presence of Sulphur (S) on the lunar surface near the south pole, through first-ever in-situ measurements. It further stated that the search for Hydrogen (H) is underway.
In-situ scientific experiments continue.....Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) instrument onboard the Rover unambiguously confirms the presence of Sulphur (S) in the lunar surface near the south pole, through first-ever in-situ measurements (sic)," ISRO wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Oxygen also detected
"Al, Ca, Fe, Cr, Ti, Mn, Si, and O are also detected, as expected. Search for Hydrogen (H) is underway," the space agency added. It further stated that the LIBS instrument is developed at the Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems (LEOS)/ISRO, Bengaluru.
What is Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems?
According to ISRO, the LIBS is a scientific technique that analyzes the composition of materials by exposing them to intense laser pulses. A high-energy laser pulse is focused onto the surface of a material, such as a rock or soil. The laser pulse generates an extremely hot and localized plasma.
The collected plasma light is spectrally resolved and detected by detectors such as Charge Coupled Devices. Since each element emits a characteristic set of wavelengths of light when it's in a plasma state, the elemental composition of the material is determined.
Search for Hydrogen is underway
Preliminary analyses have unveiled the presence of Aluminum (Al), Sulphur (S), Calcium (Ca), Iron (Fe), Chromium (Cr), and Titanium (Ti) on the lunar surface. Further measurements have revealed the presence of manganese (Mn), silicon (Si), and oxygen (O). A thorough investigation regarding the presence of Hydrogen is underway, ISRO added.
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