The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has released temperature data from the lunar surface collected by Chandrayaan-3s Vikram lander, revealing a record high of 70 degrees Celsius that challenges prior assumptions about lunar thermal behaviour.ISROs Chandras Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) payload, present on Chandrayaan-3s Vikram lander, conducted temperature measurements of the lunar topsoil around the pole to gain insights into the Moons thermal characteristics.“Here are the first observations from the ChaSTE payload onboard Vikram Lander. ChaSTE (Chandras Surface Thermophysical Experiment) measures the temperature profile of the lunar topsoil around the pole to understand the thermal behaviour of the moons surface,” ISRO tweeted on the social media platform X.Chandrayaan-3 Mission:Here are the first observations from the ChaSTE payload onboard Vikram Lander.ChaSTE (Chandras Surface Thermophysical Experiment) measures the temperature profile of the lunar topsoil around the pole, to understand the thermal behaviour of the moons… pic.twitter.com/VZ1cjWHTnd— ISRO (@isro) August 27, 2023Chandrayaan-3: Why are Vikram landers temperature findings surprisingAccording to ISRO scientist B H M Darukesha, the lunar temperatures recorded by the Vikram lander were astonishingly higher than anticipated.“We all believed that the temperature could be somewhere around 20 degree centigrade to 30 degree centigrade on the surface but it is 70 degree centigrade. This is surprisingly higher than what we had expected.”The graph illustrating the temperature variations at various depths below the lunar surface indicated intriguing insights. Comparing this with Earths behaviour, Darukesha said, “When we go two to three centimetres inside the Earth, we hardly see two to three degree centigrade variation whereas there [on the Moon], it is about 50 degree centigrade variation. This is something interesting.”The temperature profile revealed a significant drop to minus 10 degrees Celsius below the lunar surface, showcasing a range from 70 degrees Celsius to minus 10 degrees Celsius.The ChaSTE payload involves a temperature probe equipped with a controlled penetration mechanism capable of reaching depths of up to 10 centimetres below the lunar surface. It has 10 individual temperature sensors to provide detailed data on temperature variations.Developed by the Space Physics Laboratory (SPL) at ISROs Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in collaboration with the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad, the ChaSTE payload presents a substantial advancement in lunar surface temperature understanding.These revelations follow Indias historic achievement on August 23, when the Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission successfully landed on the Moons surface, marking India as the fourth nation globally to achieve this feat.
