Chandrayaan Project Director: NASA’s M3 instrument detected water on the moon; Roskosmos: India trying to secure a Soyuz TMA spaceship to send tourists into space
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  • Dr. Mylswamy Annadurai, the project director of India’s first moon mission Chandrayaan-1 stated that it had discovered water on the moon before being terminated. NASA’s Moon Minerology Mapper (M3), one of the payloads on board the satellite, detected the presence of water, a finding which could kick start more moon missions and a search for life in outer space1.

    An official of the Russian Space Agency Roskosmos stated that ISRO was trying to secure a Russian spaceship to send tourists into space as part of the country’s manned spaceflight programme2. A Russian cosmonaut is expected to pilot the reusable ‘Soyuz TMA’ capsule that can accommodate two space tourists. While the contract between the two space agencies will be commercial, its value was still unknown, as it was contingent on the duration as well as the flight path of the spaceship. Reports noted that Roskosmos typically charges $35 million for a ten-day trip to the International Space Station (ISS).

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