Chandrayaan-3: Pragyan’s navigation cameras are 125 grams, capable of withstanding high radiation and low temperature
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Chandrayaan-3: The much-awaited pictures of India’s Vikram on the Moon surface on Earth showing Chandrayaan-3, the lander that made a historic soft landing on August 23, along with the ramp that allowed the rover to eject. The pictures were taken yesterday i.e. Wednesday at 7.30 am and 11 am. Cameras onboard the rover, Pragyan are also being used Show two payloads – Lunar Seismic Instrument Activity (ILSA) and Chandra’s Surface Thermo Physical Experiment (ChaSTE) – on the Moon Landing surface for in-situ experiments. For information, ISRO released the second batch of photographs (taken at 11 am) which were taken from a distance of just 15 meters from the lander. For your information, let us tell you that the Pragyan navigation cameras, which used to guide the rover, were developed in a quiet laboratory called LEOS in Bengaluru.
The pictures that have been released are quite clear and clear
The Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems or LEOS first developed these cameras in early 2012 as part of the preparations for Chandrayaan-2. The cameras were on the rover that went as part of the 2019 mission that failed. Speaking to the media, Selvaraj P, former ISRO group head, LEOS and rover project manager, said that in the year 2019, a rover task force of 12 people was reconstituted. The team’s goal was to create such lightweight cameras that could easily withstand lunar radiation and extreme temperatures. For information, let us tell you that both the cameras installed in this rover are only 125 grams. Talking further on the matter, P Selvaraj, former ISRO Group Head, LEOS and Rover Project Manager, said that we have used LEOS’s own optics and miniature sensors. Explaining further, he said that it was great to see it working so well. The pictures that have been released today are very clear and clear.
Life will return when the sun rises
These tiny digital cameras use multi-element lenses and their image quality is verified through multiple tests on the ground, Selvaraj said. Elaborating further, he said that these cameras can withstand 50 megarads (radiation from space) which means that unlike regular cameras which can get damaged in such conditions, they can actually function as well. for a long time. The materials and processes used also allow it to survive in extremely low temperatures. We have tested it in vacuum in -200° Celsius temperature. We hope it survives the night and comes back to life when the sun rises again.
These cameras are the eyes of Pragyan
Selvaraj said that these cameras are the eyes of Pragyan, which allow it to navigate on the surface of the Moon, not only here but also to send pictures along with it. For each path plan, data from these navigation cameras has to be downloaded to the ground where a digital elevation model (DEM) is generated. Then, the ground and system teams decide which path is best for intelligence and uplink commands for the rover to follow. The pictures taken by the rover reiterate how smooth and how sure the landing on August 23 was of Vikram on the Moon.
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