What's aboard Chandrayaan and what are they for?

New Delhi: Besides the Moon Impact Probe (MIP) what else is on board Chandrayaan? And how does it work?

There are eleven scientific instruments on Chandrayaan-1. Five made in India and six from abroad.

The most attention is on the MIP that has landed on the moon with the Indian flag. It will send back data to help Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) decide where to land their rover next.

While the Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC) will look for clues on how the moon's surface evolved, the Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument (LLRI) will measure the height of it's mountains and plateaus.

Finding water on the moon is a big deal for Chandrayaan.

The Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar (MiniSAR) and the High Energy X-ray (HEX) instrument are devoted to finding ice on the surface or hidden just a few meters below.

While the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3), the Hyperspectral Imager (HySI) and the infrared spectrometer (SIR-2), are all hunting for minerals.

The Chandrayaan Spectrometer will actually X-ray the moon in its search for magnesium, aluminum, silicon, iron and titanium.

Finally, while the SAR instrument is going to study the magnetic fields on and around the moon, Radiation Dose Monitor (RADOM) will judge how radiation on the moon could harm sensitive machines or even humans.