Bengaluru, June 8
India's Mars mission
spacecraft Orbiter got 'eclipsed' early Monday with the sun blocking the
Earth from the Red Planet over the next 15 days, a senior space
official said.
"Orbiter has entered into a 15-day blackout
period, as the Earth is blocked by the sun from the Red Planet till June
22, snapping our communication links with it (spacecraft)," an official
of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) told IANS here.
Orbiting
around Mars since September 24, 2014, the 1,340-kg spacecraft is on an
extended life after completing the six-month intended lifespan on March
24 by conserving the remaining fuel (37kg) onboard.
"As eclipses
or blackouts are a cosmic phenomenon in the solar system, no cause for
concern as the Orbiter has been put on autonomous mode in advance by
sending the required commands from here to survive the eclipse phase,"
the official asserted.
Admitting that it was first time when the
deep space network at Baylalu, about 30 km from here, would be out of
touch with the Orbiter for such a long time, the official said the
spacecraft had been equipped and programmed to undergo the transition.
"Though
our command network will not receive or send any signal during the
blackout, we will regain control over the spacecraft after it comes out
of the Martian shadow to contact us again," the official said.
The
space agency's track and command network centre in the city had tested
the spacecraft's ability to survive a solar eclipse by simulating the
conditions earlier.
"As the Oribter is on a borrowed life, its
longevity and ability to keep spinning around Mars at a safe distance
from its hot red surface is a windfall for us," the official added.
India
created history by becoming the first country to enter the Mars orbit
in maiden attempt after a nine-month voyage through the inter-planetary
space from the Earth.
India also became the first Asian country
to have entered the Mars sphere of influence (gravity) on maiden
attempt, as a similar mission by China failed in 2011.
The
$70-million (Rs.450-crore) Mars mission was launched on November 5,
2013, on board a polar rocket from ISRO's spaceport Sriharikota off the
Bay of Bengal, about 80 km northeast of Chennai.
When launched,
Orbiter had 855kg fuel but consumed about 800kg since then (Nov 5) for
its orbit-raising exercises undertaken during its nine-month long
journey and on entering the Martian sphere.
"The five scientific
instruments onboard the spacecraft (Orbiter) will continue to collect
data and relay them after June 22 to our earth stations for analysis,"
the official said.
Of the five payloads (instruments) onboard,
Mars Colour Camera (MCC) has been the most active, taking stunning
images of the Red Planet's surface and its surroundings, including
valleys, mountains, craters, clouds and dust storms.
"The camera
has beamed many breathtaking pictures of the Martian surface and its
weather patterns such as duststorms. We have uploaded some pictures on
our website (www.isro.gov.in) and our Facebook account for viewing," he
pointed out.
The other four instruments have been conducting
various experiments to study the Martian surface, its rich mineral
composition and scan its atmosphere for methane gas to know if it can
support life.
"As methane is an indicator of past life on Mars,
the sensor is looking for its presence in the Martian orbit. If
available, we will know its source in terms of biology and geology. The
thermal infrared sensor will find out if the gas is from geological
origin," the official added.
Scientists at the mission control
centre here monitor the orbital movement of the spacecraft around Mars
and check health of its instruments round the clock.
Orbiter
takes 3.2 earth days or 72 hours, 51 minutes and 51 seconds to go around
Mars once while orbiting at a distance of 500 km nearest and over
80,000 km farthest from its red surface.
