| Sub Kev Atom reflecting
Analyser (SARA) |
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| Scientific Objective: |
| SARA will image the Moon surface using low
energy neutral atoms as diagnostics in the energy range
10eV-2keV to address the following scientific objectives: |
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Imaging of the Moon’s surface composition including the permanently shadowed areas and volatile rich areas |
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Imaging of the solar wind surface interaction |
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Imaging the lunar surface magnetic anomalies Studies
of space weathering |
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| Studies of space weathering |
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| The Moon does not possess a magnetosphere and atmosphere.
Therefore, the solar wind ions directly impinge on the
Moon surface that results of the surface layers. The sputtered
particles leave the surface mostly as neutral atoms. A
majority of these atoms has energy exceeding the escape
energy of Moon and thus such atoms propagate along undisturbed
trajectories. The SARA instrument is designed to detect
such atoms with sufficient angular and mass resolution
to address the above scientific objectives. SARA will
be the first-ever energetic neutral atom imaging mass
spectrometer used for planetary exploration. |
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| Payload Configuration Details: |
| Mechanically the SARA instrument consists of three boxes:
SARA neutral atom sensor CENA (Chandrayan-1 Energetic
Neutrals Analyzer), SARA solar wind monitor SWIM (Solar
WInd Monitor), and SARA DPU (Digital Processing Unit)..
The total weight of SARA is 3.5 kg with CENA weighing
2kg, SWIM weighing 0.5kg and DPU weighing 1kg. |
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| SARA is realized through ESA, in collaboration with Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Sweden and Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, ISRO. The Data Processing Unit of this payload/ experiment is designed and developed by ISRO, while Swedish Institute of Space Physics develops the payload. |
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| For further information |
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| Swedish Institute Of Space Physics http://www.irf.se |
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| University of Bern http://www.space.unibe.ch |
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| JAXA/ISAS http://www.isas.ac.jp/e/index.shtml |
