Google Doodle today celebrates a historic achievement for India and humanity: the first-ever landing on the south pole of the moon
Image by: Google
Only the United States, China, and the former Soviet Union have managed to perform soft landings on the moon before, but none of them have ventured to the southern pole area. India not only joined the elite club of moon-landing nations but also became the first country to explore the moon’s south pole.
The south pole of the moon has attracted more interest than usual because scientists suspected that there might be ice deposits inside craters that are permanently in shadow. Chandrayaan-3 confirmed this hypothesis and detected water ice on the lunar surface!
This discovery could have huge implications for future space missions, as astronauts could potentially use this ice to obtain vital resources such as oxygen, water, and possibly hydrogen rocket fuel. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated scientists from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) saying, "The success belongs to all of humanity… It will help moon missions by other countries in the future. I’m confident that all countries in the world can aspire for the moon and beyond. The sky is not the limit!