Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander hops 50cm on Moon, reveals regolith
Technology
India's Chandrayaan-3 just pulled off a cool science move on the moon.
The Vikram lander did a quick "hop," firing its engines to jump 50cm and brush away the top layer of lunar dust.
This little leap let scientists peek beneath the surface and learn more about the regolith's layering, thermal conductivity, cohesion, density, and packing.
Surface thermophysical experiment finds 2 layers
Turns out, there are two distinct layers in just the top 6.5cm of lunar soil: an upper layer that passes heat easily, and a lower one that doesn't.
These details, found using Chandrayaan-3's Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE), could help engineers design better landing gear and plan missions, especially in the moon's south pole areas where water ice might be hiding.