NASA Is Sending 'Hello' Messages To Vikram Lander That's Lying Motionless On Lunar Surface
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is doing its best to connect to Vikram Lander that is lying motionless on the lunar surface after a ¡®hard landing¡¯ on the moon on September 7.
Now, National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) is also sending 'hello' messages to the Indian lander in hopes to connect with it. NASA¡¯s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has beamed a radio frequency to Vikram to establish contact with it.
NASA/ISRO
According to the Times Of India, a source told them, ¡°Yes, NASA/JPL is trying to contact Vikram through its deep space network (DSN) as contractually agreed with ISRO.¡±
The hope to connect with Vikram is getting less day by day as the lander will remain exposed to sun¡¯s rays for 14 days, which will also get over on September 20-21 and thereafter there would be no hope to contact it.
On sending signals to the lander, Moon acts as a radio reflector and sends back a small portion of that signal that can be detected on Earth.
Another astronomer Scott Tilley also said that NASA had beamed a radio frequency to the lander.
Tilley told TOI, ¡°DSN 24 has been sending a signal on Vikram Lander¡¯s uplink frequency for the last two days now. I believe other DSN stations have done the same too.¡±
