Scientists eagerly await Chandrayaan-2 landing

As the landing of India's second lunar mission Chandrayaan 2 comes closer, the Indian scientific community awaits the moment with eager anticipation.

Director of MP Birla Auditorium, Kolkata, Dr Debiprasad Duari said, " It is a historical day for every Indian because we know that Chandrayaan-2 will make a successful landing tonight at 1.55 am. The scientific community is very much interested to know about its findings because previously Chandrayaan 1 gave us a lot of information about the moon."

Duari further added that the mission will help the scientists discover the mineral and atmospheric composition of the moon.

"We will also get to know whether there is ice in its deep craters. We will also try to find out whether the lunar soil is enough to produce water vapour on its surface and we will also measure how the moon is quaking or vibrating so that we can get the inside structure of the moon," he said.

"Finally, it will also help our scientists to think and plan a future outpost of the human civilisation on the moon which is the ultimate goal of the international scientific community," Prasad added.

Describing the final landing of the Vikram Lander on the moon, Former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientist, G Madhavan Nair said," Final stage is something like flying saucers coming in hovering on the top and then slowly descending, as in science fiction. It's going to be a tough job."

Another former ISRO scientist, Ravi Gupta hailed the efforts of the scientists at ISRO and said that the 'independent' and 'indigenous' Chandrayaan 2 mission will be a historic feat.

"Today's night will be a memorable event. It will take our science to new heights. It is an achievement for the entire world as we have a habit of sharing fruits of our knowledge with all for (the benefit of) mankind," Gupta said.

Talking about the mission, former ISRO scientist Surendra Paul also said that the last 15 minutes of the landing will be the most significant.

"The soft-landing will be very important because it is a very complex mechanism and involves various technologies. This will be a milestone for the country and the world," Paul said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to witness the event live from the space agency's control room in Sriharikota, along with over 60 school-going children.

The Chandrayaan 2 spacecraft will be the first Indian expedition to carry out a soft landing on the lunar surface. This mission will make India the fourth country after the US, Russia, and China to conduct a soft landing on the moon.

Chandrayaan 2's lander, Vikram is scheduled to land on the surface of the moon on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday between 1:30 am to 2:30 am.