NASA's Lunar Crater Radio Telescope Explained! 

NASA has proposed a new project for the Lunar Crater Radio Telescope. NASA is now planning to build a new telescope on the darkest side of our moon. We know that the moon missions are considered one of the most challenging space missions. Scientists are planning to build a one-kilometer-long telescope on the surface of the moon! This project will give humans a new chance to find more amazing and weird things in space. This mission is one of the most amazing upcoming missions for NASA and humans. But this mission also has many problems for scientists. You are going to learn about one of the most amazing upcoming space and moon missions.

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Contents:

1. Radio Astronomy
2. Ground & Space Based Telescopes
3. Importance of Telescope on Moon
4. Formation of Lunar Crater Radio Telescope
5. Summary and FAQ

Radio Astronomy

Radio astronomy is a subfield of astronomy in which we study the radio frequencies of different objects present in space. This enables us to see the celestial bodies and phenomena that are invisible in the electromagnetic spectrum. There are many big telescopes that are studying our universe right now! Some famous telescopes are Kepler, Hubble Space Telescope, James Webb Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, etc. It is basically used to increase our knowledge about our universe. Scientists have found hundreds of stars, planets, and more through this.

 

Ground- and space-based telescopes

Almost every electronic device on Earth emits radio signals, and our Earth's dense atmosphere reflects many signals coming from outside the Earth. In this, the telescopes present on the ground face many problems in detecting those signals from the cosmos. Ground-based telescopes are the most common telescopes used by scientists to study the universe, as it takes less time and money to build them. 

These telescopes are built on the surface of the Earth, while space telescopes are built on Earth but work while orbiting Earth. It is easy to fix or solve problems with ground telescopes, while space telescopes require a mission to fix any issue. Most space telescopes are non-repairable, like JWST, which means scientists have only one chance to build a 100% efficient telescope.

 

In ground-based telescopes, there are many problems, like that they display blurry images because of the atmosphere of the Earth, and they can't detect some rays like infrared rays, x-rays, and gamma rays as they are mostly blocked by air waves. That's why scientists built space telescopes to solve this issue. Maybe you've heard of the James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Telescope, which are the most known space telescopes. A space telescope studies different objects in space by moving in the outer space of the Earth. Scientists need to launch these telescopes, and then they have to set them in the orbit of the Earth. 

But these telescopes are also not very beneficial. We can discover the universe much better with these telescopes, but we can't repair and fix its issues as they are in space. Space agencies need a proper space mission to solve their issues. Thus, JWST is operated by NASA, ESA, and CSA together. To solve these issues, NASA has announced that they will create the world's largest telescope on the surface of our moon, and they named this telescope the Lunar Crater Radio Telescope.

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Importance of Telescope on Moon

We know that the moon doesn't have any atmosphere, and it is locked to our Earth to orbit it. Scientists have predicted that the moon always orbits Earth, and its half part is on the side of space and half on the side of earth. Thus, if we create a telescope on the darkest side, which is the south pole or north pole of the moon, then we would not face any radio interference from the atmosphere of the Earth. This will enable us to study the radio waves coming from different places and objects in space without any problems or interference. NASA has also started on its ARTEMIS mission to the moon.

 

That's why NASA chose the darkest side of the moon to build a radio telescope there. NIAC NASA’s Institute for Advanced Concepts has the funding to study the feasibility of the telescope on the surface of the moon. During this study, scientists will collect data on the total possible budget of this mission. They will find out if this mission is possible or not. What will be the maintenance cost of the radio? How do I build such a large telescope on the moon? The major purpose of the Lunar Crater Radio Telescope will be to study the long-wavelength radio waves formed after the Cosmic Dark Ages!

 

After the Big Bang, our universe was filled with gases and dust, in which hydrogen was most present. Due to these gases, our first-generation stars were formed. That's why we can gain so much new and amazing information about our universe by studying the wavelengths. We can also understand dark matter much better because of this. To study these radio waves, we need to have a large and sensitive telescope that can easily detect and read these signals. Scientists have planned to build a one-kilometer-wide telescope on a three-kilometer-wide crater! The largest telescope built yet is the five hundred-meter-aperture spherical telescope, which is 500 meters large.

These huge telescopes present on the earth are made of thousands of reflecting panels that send radio waves to their main receiver, which hangs from cables. But despite their huge size, even these giant telescopes present on earth are not capable of studying wavelengths above 14 feet. These telescopes are built by using many raw materials, different instruments, and other essential things. To create the world's largest radio telescope on the Moon, it will require thousands of reflective panels, lots of launches, challenges, and money.

 

Formation of the Lunar Crater Radio Telescope

Scientists have suggested some ways through which we will be able to build a lunar telescope on the moon with the help of automatic robots using very few resources. The biggest suggestion in this is that instead of thousands of reflective panels used in the construction of telescopes on Earth, wire mesh will be used in making the Lunar Telescope. 

Through wire mesh, a kind of reflective shield will be constructed in the center of the crater, which will work to send radio waves towards its receiver. The initial mission will first take the thin wire mesh required for the construction of the lunar telescope to the surface of the moon. After which, a second mission will take NASA's DuAxel Rovers to the Moon.

 

NASA's DuAxel Rover looks like a normal Rover at first glance, but it is a very special Rover that can work in two different modes. In the first mode, it is capable of studying and doing other work like any other Rover. But in the second mode, this Rover gets divided into two different parts. 

While its main part remains at the same place, its other part, connected by the same cable, is capable of studying and doing other work at places where it is not possible for any other Rover or human being to reach. In such a situation, this Rover can help scientists a lot in installing a radio telescope on the crater of the telescope.

 

But there are some challenges in front of this proposed mission, such as the fact that the design and structure of this mesh network should be very precise so that the radio telescope can work properly. And secondly, this mesh should be capable of withstanding the extremely fluctuating temperatures of our moon.

 

Because there is no atmosphere present, the surface temperature of our moon goes to 127 degrees Celsius during the day and minus 173 degrees Celsius at night. In such a situation, this variable temperature of the moon can prove to be very dangerous for all the instruments of the Lunar Radio Telescope. Till now, NASA has not fully approved the Lunar Crater Radio Telescope, so it may take a lot of time for it to be approved and become a reality. But it is clear from the funds received by NIAC that this will greatly accelerate the study of the lunar telescope. And if everything goes well, then it can take the form of a NASA mission in the coming few years.

 

Also Read:  LUPEX Mission: ISRO's Next Moon Mission Details!

Summary and FAQ

It may take time for this mission to become a reality, as it includes many problems and is too expensive. NASA would have to launch hundreds of rockets to send all the parts to the moon. It is definitely possible that we are going to see too many incredible and fantastic space missions in the upcoming decades, which will give humankind a new vision about space and astronomy. I hope you learned a lot of new things from this article. Comment on what you liked the most in this article. Here are some questions that could arise in your mind:

 

What is the moon-based radio telescope?

NASA is now planning to build a Lunar Crater Radio Telescope (LCRT) on the surface of the Moon.

Which is the largest radio telescope in Asia?

The largest radio telescope in Asia is India's Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT)

Where is the world's largest radio telescope located?

The world's largest radio telescope is the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), which is located in Guizhou Province, China.

How much does the lunar crater radio telescope cost?

It's estimated cost could be above $1 Billion as it includes many launches and settlements.

How old is our moon?

Our Moon Lunar is around 4.5 Billion years old.