ISRO scientists said that the temperature was 40 degrees just two centimeters below the surface, and minus 10 degrees at a depth of 8 centimeters. He said that the CHEST (Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment) fitted to Vikram Lander has recorded and sent the details of the temperatures there and the internal temperature of the lunar soil. In the afternoon, it is predicted that the temperature will be above 100 degrees at the South Pole. Similarly, it is said that it can be minus hundred degrees at night.
It is stated that the temperature changes rapidly due to the lack of atmosphere on the moon. However, the top layer of soil is very thin and full of rocks. It is said that this layer prevents the surface temperature from going into the soil. It is said that this layer will play a key role in establishing habitats on the moon in the future.
ISRO tweeted: ChaSTE measures temperature profile of lunar topsoil around pole, to understand thermal behaviour of the moon’s surface. It has a temperature probe equipped with a controlled penetration mechanism capable of reaching a depth of 10 cm beneath the surface. The probe is fitted with 10 individual temperature sensors.
Meanwhile, after concluding his 2 nation visit from Greece, Narendra Modi will head straight to Bengaluru on a pre-scheduled visit to meet scientists of ISRO team which is involved in Chandrayaan-3 Mission.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
Here are the first observations from the ChaSTE payload onboard Vikram Lander.ChaSTE (Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment) measures the temperature profile of the lunar topsoil around the pole, to understand the thermal behaviour of the moon's… pic.twitter.com/VZ1cjWHTnd
— ISRO (@isro) August 27, 2023