Why in News?
- Mons Mouton, a prominent lunar mountain near the Moon's South Pole.
- ISRO scientists identified the MM-4 region on Mons Mouton's flat summit as a safe landing patch for Chandrayaan-4, India's first lunar sample return mission; findings were presented at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC).
About Mons Mouton
- Geography: It stands approximately 6,000 metres (20,000 feet) tall, making it roughly the same height as Denali, North America's highest peak.
- Dimensions: It features a broad, plateau-like peak that spans nearly 100 kilometres (60 miles) in width.
- Location: Situated in the South Circumpolar Region (SCR), it lies on the rim of the South Pole–Aitken (SPA) basin, the oldest and largest impact basin on the Moon.
- Etymology: Officially named in May 2022 after Melba Roy Mouton, a pioneering NASA mathematician and computer programmer.
Why it is Important?
- Water Ice: It is located near Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs)—deep craters that never receive sunlight and are believed to contain significant deposits of water ice.
- Solar Illumination: Despite its proximity to dark craters, its high-altitude peaks receive extended periods of sunlight, which is critical for powering solar-operated landers and rovers.
- Communication: The site offers a direct and clear line-of-sight for radio communication with Earth
Download Pdf
Get in Touch
