ISRO also shared a video which showed an automated hinge mechanism rotating the 18-cm tall APXS. (Photo: Twitter/ISRO)
In a post on X, ISRO said the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectroscope (APXS) has detected sulphur, as well as other minor elements.
Indian Space Research Organisation on Thursday said that another instrument onboard the Pragyan rover of Chandrayaan-3 has confirmed the presence of Sulphur (S) on Moon, through another technique.
In a post on X, ISRO said the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectroscope (APXS) has detected sulphur, as well as other minor elements.
“This finding by Ch-3 compels scientists to develop fresh explanations for the source of Sulphur (S) in the area: intrinsic?, volcanic?, meteoritic?,……?.” the post by ISRO on the microblogging site said.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:In-situ Scientific ExperimentsAnother instrument onboard the Rover confirms the presence of Sulphur (S) in the region, through another technique.
The Alpha Particle X-ray Spectroscope (APXS) has detected S, as well as other minor elements.
This… pic.twitter.com/lkZtz7IVSY
— ISRO (@isro) August 31, 2023
ISRO also shared a video which showed an automated hinge mechanism rotating the 18-cm tall APXS, aligning the detector head to be approximately 5 cm in proximity to moon’s surface.
What Is APXS & What Does it Do
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) onboard rover ramped down to observe the lunar sample as seen in the video, which is captured by the lander imager.
APXS instrument is best suited for in-situ analysis of the elemental composition of soil and rocks on the surface of planetary bodies having little atmosphere, such as the Moon. It carries radioactive sources that emit alpha particles and X-rays onto the surface sample.
The atoms present in the sample in turn emit characteristic X-ray lines corresponding to the elements present. By measuring the energies and intensities of these characteristic X-rays, researchers can find the elements present and their abundances.
