[아시아경제 김봉수 기자] “We will look into the permanent lunar shadows with 200 times better performance than American satellites.”
Astronomers around the world, including the United States, are showing great interest in the launch of Korea’s lunar probe ‘Danuri’. This is because it is possible to collect much more precise lunar surface data than before.
On the 26th (local time), the US space media Space.com said, “The launch of Korea’s first lunar mission is one week away. Danuri (KPLO) is scheduled to be launched on the 2nd of next month, mounted on SpaceX’s Falcon 9.” “This launch is the first step in South Korea’s ambitious deep space exploration, which includes the launch of a lunar probe scheduled for 2030 and sampling of asteroids,” it reported.
The media also briefly explained the science experiment missions to be performed by Danuri’s six payloads, and especially focused on the permanent shadow zone camera (Shadowcam) manufactured by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). According to reports, in 2016, NASA developed a scientific instrument that could improve knowledge of the distribution of volatiles, including water, believed to be buried in the shadowy part of the moon (permanent shade) that has not yet been explored by humans. announced plans to conduct an expedition. After that, NASA developed Shadowcam through Arizona State University and a private company based in San Diego, California. This camera is designed to capture the permanent shadow of the moon with little light through a high-resolution sensor, camera and telephoto lens.
In particular, this shadow cam is designed in a similar way to the camera mounted on the lunar orbiter (LRO) launched by the US in 2008, but its performance is 200 times better. Arizona State University professor Prasun Mahanti said, “The temperature in the permanent shading zone of the moon is very low, so volatile substances such as water, ammonia and methane can remain buried for a long time. “It can capture images, but it is much more sensitive than a camera attached to an existing LRO, so we expect to be able to take high-resolution photos of the lunar permanent shadow for the first time in mankind.”
Ben Bush, a researcher at the Johns Hopkins Institute of Applied Physics, explained that Shadowcam’s goal is to map the lunar north and south poles and to find water, as well as provide the data needed to select a landing site for the upcoming Artemis lunar landing project. He said, “Another goal is to check if there are obstacles inside the Permanent Zone and paths that a person or a rover can travel. The more efficient the exploration, the more efficient it can be.”
Researcher Bush also praised Danuri and the Korean development team. “Korea’s Danuri team has a lot of very interesting payloads on their first lunar orbiter,” he added. “We’ve had fun working with them.”
Meanwhile, NASA is working on the ‘Artemis’ program, an international cooperative space development project, with 10 countries including Korea. As part of this, humanity’s second lunar landing mission after 2025 will be conducted. NASA plans to send astronauts and rovers down to Antarctica, part of the lunar permafrost, to test for the presence of water.
By Kim Bong-soo, staff reporter bskim@asiae.co.kr
