The moon has mesmerized people all through the ages and it still does. The moon has inspired awe and it exudes mystery. There may be no one on earth who has not gazed at the moon. Countries all over the world dispatched spacecraft to the moon, the Americans, Russians, Japanese, and Chinese have successfully done so. About dozen men have already set foot on the moon, lunar soil and rock samples have been brought to earth. What is left to know about the moon? Is it worth the effort? Will the $80 million that India is spending bear fruit? The answers to all the questions lie in the fact that our understanding of the moon is basic and there is still a lot that man does not know about the moon and what it has to offer.

Aim of Chandrayaan-1
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step said the Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu and India has taken the first step by launching Chandrayaan-1 and will look to finish tasks that Americans and Russians started that of unraveling the mystery that surrounds the moon. Chandrayaan-1 is aimed at preparing a three dimensional atlas of both the near and far side of the moon. It will conduct chemical and mineralogical mapping of the lunar surface for elements such as magnesium, aluminium, silicon, calcium, iron and titanium. It will study high atomic number elements, including radon, uranium and thorium. It will also take photo geological and chemical mapping of the moon. It will also look for traces of water. What does all this mean? In simple terms the data that will be collected will help us in understanding the solar system. It will help us know how many layers make up the moon’s crust and so on. We will know a lot of moon’s hidden past.