After completing a historic landing on the lunar surface, putting India in the tiny club of countries that have safely placed a spacecraft on the moon, the Chandrayaan-3 lander is now asleep — resting through the 14-day lunar night before mission controllers attempt to reawaken the spacecraft later this month.

The primary goals of the mission have now been successfully checked off the list, cementing the Chandrayaan-3 lander’s legacy in exploration history. For nearly two weeks, the lander carried out technology demonstrations and data collection mainly focused on analyzing the composition of the moon’s soil and super-thin atmosphere.

The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft landed on the lunar surface on August 23. The safe touchdown made India only the fourth nation in the world to complete such a feat, following the former Soviet Union, the United States and China. So far in the 21st Century, only China and India have landed on the moon.

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The Chandrayaan-3 lander is captured by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which is currently in orbit around the moon. The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft’s dark shadow is visible against a bright halo surrounding the vehicle, which resulted from the rocket plume interacting with the fine-grained regolith (soil).

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Arizona State University

It also marked the first mission to explore so close to the lunar south pole, a region of key scientific and strategic importance for global space powers because it is believed to be home to deposits of water ice. The resource could be harvested and converted into drinking water or even rocket fuel for future missions that explore deeper into the cosmos.

In India, the Chandryaan-3 mission has been hailed as a point of national pride. More than 70 million people watched online coverage of the landing, and thousands more packed into auditoriums and viewing parties across the country.

“Our tireless scientific efforts will continue in order to develop better understanding of the Universe for the welfare of entire humanity,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on social media September 2, celebrating the Chandrayaan-3 mission and the recent launch of India’s first spacecraft dedicated to studying the sun.

The Indian Space Research Organization, or ISRO, confirmed on Monday, September 4, that the Chandryaan-3 lunar lander had been put into sleep mode, as the spacecraft isn’t designed to continue collecting scientific data while its landing spot is in the Earth’s shadow, or lunar night.

But the space agency hopes that the lander — and a small six-wheeled rover it deployed — will be reawakened later this month, on September 22.

A look back at Chandryaan-3

The Chandrayaan-3 landing in August came mere days after Russia failed in its attempt to put a similar spacecraft, Luna-25, near the moon’s south pole. Standing in sharp contrast to the tense failures of Luna-25, the Chandryaan-3 vehicle almost immediately began dispatching updates on its successes.

The day after landing, the ISRO confirmed that the Chandryaan-3 lander had successfully deployed the six-wheeled lunar rover that had ridden to the surface tucked inside the spacecraft’s body.

It was released by rolling down a small ramp before setting off “in pursuit of lunar secrets at the South Pole,” the ISRO said on X, the website formerly known as Twitter.

Together, the lander, which weighs about 1,700 kilograms (3,748 pounds), and the 26-kilogram (57.3-pound) rover are packed with nearly a dozen scientific instruments. They include a laser that can analyze the chemical composition of the moon’s regolith — aiding in the hunt for water ice — and the ultra-thin layer of gases that make up the moon’s exosphere. The rover is also equipped with a seismometer that attempted to detect quakes within the moon’s interior.

The ISRO confirmed that all the instruments were “performing normally” during the mission.

The space agency shared sporadic updates on social media, posting first glimpses at various data points gathered by the lander and rover, which managed to travel a total of more than 100 meters (330 feet) across the lunar surface and was able to snap photos of the lander during its trek.

One experiment measured the temperature of the moon’s topsoil at various depths, and ISRO scientist BHM Darukesha told a local news outlet, PTI, that the surface was hotter than expected.

“We all believed that the temperature could be somewhere around 20 degree centigrade to 30 degrees centigrade (68 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit) on the surface but it is 70 degree centigrade (158 degrees Fahrenheit). This is surprisingly higher than what we had expected,” he said.

The rover also detected some seismic activity using an instrument designed to measure rumbles and quakes beneath the lunar surface, and the rover used a spectroscope to confirm the presence of sulfur near the moon’s south pole. Now scientists will aim to investigate how the element got there and whether it exists naturally on the surface or was put there by a meteor strike or volcanic activity, according to the ISRO.

The ISRO put the rover to rest on September 2, though its solar panels were oriented to catch the first sun rays as the moon travels back into daytime later this month.

“Hoping for a successful awakening for another set of assignments! Else, it will forever stay there as India’s lunar ambassador,” the ISRO posted on X.

But the lander wasn’t finished. It completed another stunning feat on September 4, firing up its engines to lift itself about 40 centimeters (16 inches) off the ground and make a small hop to land about 30 to 40 centimeters (12 to 16 inches) away from its original position.

The ISRO emphasized the importance of this technology demonstration, noting that being able to get a lander back off the lunar surface will be essential for future missions that aim to return soil samples — or even astronauts — back home after a lunar mission.

Shortly after, the lander joined the rover, entering its own slumber and awaiting its reawakening when the sunshine returns to its resting place.

It’s not yet certain that the lander and rover will, in fact, properly function when mission controllers attempt to turn them back on later this month.

But all of the primary objectives the ISRO set out for the mission have been met.

Photos: Rare blue supermoon dazzles stargazers around the globe

A peacock sits on a chimney as a nearly full moon rises behind it, in Hyderabad, India, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. August 30 will see the month’s second supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position to Earth. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

Mahesh Kumar A.

The supermoon rises near the equestrian statue of Damdin Sukhbaatar on Sukhbaatar Square in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. August 30 sees the month’s second supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position to Earth. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Ng Han Guan

A Supermoon is seen on the sky as a woman walks on the street, in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg, South Africa, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. August 30 sees the month’s second supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position to Earth. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Themba Hadebe

The supermoon rises behind the ancient temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, about 70 kilometers (45 miles) south of Athens, Greece, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. The cosmic curtain rose Wednesday night with the second full moon of the month, the reason it is considered blue. It’s dubbed a supermoon because it’s closer to Earth than usual, appearing especially big and bright. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Thanassis Stavrakis

The supermoon rises over the Mediterranean sea as a boat passes at Konnos bay near Ayia Napa and Protaras on the eastern part of the island of Cyprus, on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. The cosmic curtain rose Wednesday night with the second full moon of the month, the reason it is considered blue. It’s dubbed a supermoon because it’s closer to Earth than usual, appearing especially big and bright. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Petros Karadjias

The supermoon rises behind Ayioi Anargiroi Orthodox church near Ayia Napa and Protaras in the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. The cosmic curtain rose Wednesday night with the second full moon of the month, the reason it is considered blue. It is dubbed a supermoon because it is closer to Earth than usual, appearing especially big and bright. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Petros Karadjias

The full moon rises behind the Galata tower in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. The cosmic curtain rose Wednesday night with the second full moon of the month, the reason it is considered blue. It is dubbed a supermoon because it is closer to Earth than usual, appearing especially big and bright.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Khalil Hamra

The supermoon rises in the sky of Gaza City, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. The cosmic curtain rose Wednesday night with the second full moon of the month, the reason it is considered blue. It’s dubbed a supermoon because it’s closer to Earth than usual, appearing especially big and bright. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

Adel Hana

The supermoon rises in the sky over the houses of Gaza City, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. The cosmic curtain rose Wednesday night with the second full moon of the month, the reason it is considered blue. It’s dubbed a supermoon because it’s closer to Earth than usual, appearing especially big and bright. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

Adel Hana

The August Super Blue Moon sets behind a historical building and the St. Basil’s Cathedral, right, as people walk in Red Square in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. The cosmic curtain rises Wednesday night with the second full moon of the month, the reason it is considered blue. It is dubbed a supermoon because it is closer to Earth than usual, appearing especially big and bright. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Alexander Zemlianichenko

The moon known as blue moon rises behind the small village of Ujue, northern Spain, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

Alvaro Barrientos

A supermoon rises over the Colosseum in Rome, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Gregorio Borgia

The supermoon rises behind the Chlemoutsi medival castle in Kyllini, Peloponnese, Greece, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. The cosmic curtain rose Wednesday night with the second full moon of the month, the reason it is considered blue. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Petros Giannakouris

The full moon rises beyond the Martyrs statue, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. August 30 will see the month’s second supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position to Earth. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Hussein Malla

Akıncı unmanned aerial craft passing in front of the Supermoon during a demonstration flight on the first day of Teknofest technology and aerospace festival in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Emrah Gurel

A supermoon rises over Montevideo, Uruguay, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. The cosmic curtain rose Wednesday night with the second full moon of the month, also known as a blue moon. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

Matilde Campodonico

People watch a supermoon rise above Lisbon, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. It’s the month’s second supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position to Earth. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Armando Franca

A rare Blue Supermoon rises over Lake Michigan as spectators watch from Chicago’s 31st Street beach Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Charles Rex Arbogast

The supermoon, blue moon, rises behind a thick layer of clouds near a statue of the angel Moroni perched atop The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, in Kensington, Md. The cosmic curtain rose Wednesday night with the second full moon of the month, the reason it is considered blue. It’s dubbed a supermoon because it’s closer to Earth than usual, appearing especially big and bright. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Julio Cortez

A super moon rises behind Arthur Ashe Stadium at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, in New York. A rare blue supermoon — the closest full moon of the year — dazzled stargazers Wednesday night. It was the second full moon of August, thus the blue label. And it was unusually close to Earth, therefore a supermoon. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Manu Fernandez

A man watches from the upper deck of a baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and the Pittsburgh Pirates as the moon rises in the distance Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. The moon was a rare blue supermoon, named so because it was the second full moon in August, thus the blue label, and it was unusually close to Earth, therefore a supermoon. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Charlie Riedel

The full moon rises beyond a sign in the outfield during a baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. The moon was a rare blue supermoon, named so because it was the second full moon in August, thus the blue label, and it was unusually close to Earth, therefore a supermoon. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Charlie Riedel

A blue supermoon rises between the Salesforce Tower and the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Eric Risberg

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The post What’s subsequent for India’s lunar lander — Chandrayaan-3 appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

NASA engineers, impressed by SFMTA’s outreach and community meeting program, have decided that the construction of the next lunar launch, including choice of propulsion, rocket design and other factors, will be based on public comment.

“We have a long history of not listening to the public before launching a rocket,” said Jeffrey Smuvlin, NASA’s chief of propulsion systems. “That needs to change. And SFMTA has shown us the way.”

Following this concept, Smulvin instructed the agency to discard any design guides based on Newtonian physics or a century of international best practices, and instead rely on the “something is better than nothing” principle, gut instinct and if it suits your gut instinct corresponds, public comment.

At the first such meeting, held Tuesday at Moffett Field, members of the public were each given two minutes to address a panel of NASA directors.

“I think you should use organic, natural methane for fuel — it’s less wasteful,” said Mountain View’s Joyce Souffle. “I know the bottling and collection will take longer, but you haven’t been to the moon in fifty years, so why the rush?”

“Just attach some impulse engines and dilithium crystals to the ship,” said Bobby Canolie, a foodie from North Beach. “It worked on TV!”

Meanwhile, staff at UCSF General Hospital, inspired by NASA, are moving forward with similar plans to adopt SFMTA’s outreach efforts as a core component of their treatment programs. “Yes, why shouldn’t we listen to the public?” said Dr. George Whackedelly. “We must be able to say that we are listening.”

In addition, Whackedelly said that from now on the hospital would ignore studies of successful surgical techniques from Europe and Asia. “Just because a new heart bypass technique has shown better success rates abroad doesn’t mean it will work here. That’s not Denmark.” Whackedelly added that he is reactivating the bloodletting/leech unit. When asked why he would resort to an ancient medical technique that doesn’t work, he said “we have to do something” and that doctors at a clinic in a São Paulo suburb still use lye.

The first program to receive public funding under the new policy will be the hospital’s Brain Surgery Unit. Operations will be delayed for three years or more while public comments are collected and processed, Whackedelly said. He added that even if 99 percent of the public urged the hospital to go back to science, studies and international best practices, they would not. “We can’t go back. It is too late. We must do something now.”

“You spend too much money on surgical tools when drills and picks from any hardware store will do,” Clark Chan of Great Maul Hardware in Taraval said at the hospital’s first public session on surgical techniques, also held Tuesday. “A drill is a drill is a drill. If it’s good enough for a two-by-four, it’s good enough for my skull.”

“You know what? I’m flying to Sweden for my brain tumor surgery,” said Shane Rodgers, arriving at the meeting in his scrubs. “You guys are f*cknuts.”

***

Streetsblog will be closed on Friday March 31st in celebration of Cesar Chavez Day. Since April Fool’s Day is Saturday, we thought we’d publish this post earlier.

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Was a green fireball that recently treated at least 500 people in 13 states who happened to look up at the sky at the right time an “incredibly bright” Taurid meteor? And will the typically prolific Leonids throw out similar spectacles when the shower peaks this week over San Francisco?

The Leonid meteor shower — known to produce fast, bright meteors as Earth plows through a trail of debris left behind by the comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle — peaks Wednesday and Thursday morning just before dawn.

It depends on the weather, of course. AccuWeather calls for partly to mostly cloudy.

November is always a fun month for skywatching, but especially this year. A blood lunar eclipse during the full frost moon Thursday and Friday will be the longest-running lunar eclipse of the 21st century, according to NASA (more about that later).

The annual shower runs through Nov. 30, has a cyclonic peak every 33 years and spits out hundreds of meteors an hour, something that last happened in 2001. In normal years, count on 15 or so shooting stars an hour.

A nearly full moon will be troublesome for meteor watching, but if the Leonids produce fireballs, even bright moonlight won’t blot them out. As always, the darker the sky, the better, and your best bet is to time your visit around moonset on the peak mornings — between 5 and 6 am here in California.

The much-talked-about Taurid fireball Nov. 10 was reported by nearly 500 people in 13 East Coast states. One Patch reader commented that she was “thrilled to see” the green fireball in Hawthorne, New Jersey. “So did my husband,” she wrote, “so I know I wasn’t crazy. It was amazing.”

By the way, the Taurid meteor showers—that’s plural because they consist of two distinct branches, the South and North Taurids, both rich in fireballs—continue through Dec. 10. Both streams have peaked, the North Taurids Nov 11-12, just after the green fireball was reported on Nov 10.

This week’s big event is the lunar eclipse, which will be visible in all 50 states Thursday night and Friday morning. Technically, it’s a partial eclipse but will appear from our vantage point on Earth to be a total eclipse. At the peak of this event — lasting 3 hours, 28 minutes and 32 seconds — our planet will block 98 percent of the sun’s light from reaching the moon’s surface in a reddish hue.

Usually, light from the sun paints the face of the moon a grayish-white. But when the eclipse peaks around 4 am Eastern Time on the 19th, the moon will be washed in a reddish hue.

A partial lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes through Earth’s partial shadow, or penumbra, and only a portion of it passes through the darkest shadow, or umbra. A total or nearly total lunar eclipse like this one often is called a “blood moon” for this reason.

Lunar eclipses only happen during full moons. Indigenous people tracked the seasons by the full moon, and November’s is known by various names — the full frost moon, beaver moon and dark moon.

The approaching full cold moon — or long nights moon or moon before Yule — on Dec. 19 could interfere some with the Dec. 13-14 peak of the
Geminid meteor shower, but this annual sky show that rivals the Perseids in August produces shooting stars so bright they’ll be able to compete with the moonlight, according to Earthsky.org.

Multicolored meteors fly at a rate of anywhere from 50 to 120 an hour at the peak, which like most meteor showers is between midnight and dawn. The shower runs from Dec. 4-17

The final meteor shower of 2021, the Ursid meteor shower, runs from Dec. 17-26 The peak always occurs on Dec. 21, the winter solstice. The Ursids are fairly low-key, delivering five or 10 meteors an hour, but on rare occasions can produce outbursts of 100 or more meteors an hour. The meteors appear to come from the Ursa Minor constellation.

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Some major events are returning to San Francisco, including the Lunar New Year Parade and Pride.

Organizers are happy to hold events or parades again and believe it could be an emotional return for some.

“It’s just the general consensus that the way things look at this moment that we’re going to be out on Market Street,” said Suzanne Ford.

After the pandemic canceled big in-person events, the LGBTQ+ pride celebration and parade plans to return in June.

Ford is interim executive director of San Francisco Pride and said bringing visibility to the community is important.

“I think it’s going to be one of the emotional outpourings you’ve ever seen in the city of San Francisco,” said Ford. “I really think people have a deep hunger to be together on pride weekend.”

They’re working to safely shape the celebration.

“We will be working with the city and we will make sure that our community is safe and we’re working hand in hand with any city guidelines that they issue,” said Ford.

Lunar New Year celebrations are underground too. The parade will once again wind its way through the streets this weekend in San Francisco.

It’s happening as the omicron surge fades and after indoor mask rules have eased.

The St. Patrick’s Day parade also plans to return and so does Off The Grid’s weekly Fort Mason Food Truck Market.

“It signals to me that we’re getting through this pandemic because of our vaccination rates we are not seeing the number of fatalities that we have in the past and we’re definitely in a better place,” said Mayor London Breed. “I’m really excited about what this means for San Francisco.”

But does that mean the city can stay the course?

“Well I hope so and the more people that get vaccinated and boosted will help to put us in a situation that would ease even more restrictions I think for now I think we’re doing pretty good it doesn’t mean we won’t see another surge or more challenges in the future,” said Breed.

Meantime, plans for celebrations and some normalcy are moving ahead.

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The family-run Hong Kong Lounge is located in SF’s Outer Richmond District and serves as the staple for classic dim sum in the Bay Area. During this lunar new year, the restaurant offers a variety of take-away specialties, including a giant pot of festive foods known as a poon choi. This traditional dish is overflowing with special meat, seafood and vegetables that symbolize wealth and fortune.

Sweet treats also play an important role in the New Year’s dishes. The Hong Kong Lounge caters to customers Nian Gao (Year Cake) and Fa Gao (Prosperity Cake). Nian Gao is a circular, sticky rice cake most popularly consumed during the Lunar New Year to promote togetherness and happiness for a better year. Fa Gao is a steamed, yellow cake that is successful when consumed.

As the manager of her family’s restaurant, Tiffany Zhou hopes that New Year’s dinner at the Hong Kong Lounge will bring much-needed joy to families.

“I want you to be happy,” said Zhou. “And just remember, you know, sometimes you have to slow down and just enjoy the moment.”

Visit here to learn more about the Hong Kong Lounge and to place an order.

Every year, the Hong Kong Lounge, together with the Fort Point Beer Company, offers a special brunch with delicious dim sum dishes and beer offerings to celebrate the New Year and Beer Week. Visit here to pre-order your home dim sum brunch for Saturday 20th February.

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