Lunar Survey Spacecraft Develops an Attitude Problem

摘要

India's first moon probe, Chan-drayaan-1, has suffered a critical malfunction that jeopardizes the remainder of the mission. The spacecraft, which entered lunar orbit last November, can no longer orient itself with high precision. "Its pointing accuracy has been compromised," says a mission engineer who asked for anonymity.rnChandrayaan-1 achieved all of its mission objectives before the malfunction was detected in May, says G. Madhavan Nair, chair of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISR.O) in Bangalore. It was a "dream run" until then, Nair told Science. Some foreign scientists with instruments aboard Chandrayaan-1 concur that the probe performed well. "The data ... are unique and reveal a new moon," says Stas Barabash of the Swedish Institute of SpacernPhysics in Kiruna, whose Sub keV Atom Reflecting Analyser is investigating the interaction of the solar wind with the lunar surface. The spacecraft is con-rntinuing a search for water ice, gathering data for a three-dimensional lunar atlas, and mapping minerals.