MK Stalin commends Indian techie who spotted lost Vikram lander on lunar surface

DMK Chief and Leader of Opposition in Tamil Nadu Assembly MK Stalin has praised the Indian techie and space enthusiast Shanmuga Subramanian who had used lunar images to trace Chandrayaan 2's Vikram Lander on the Moon's surface. Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, the DMK president said that he commends the Chennai-based programmer who had used lunar images to trace Vikram Lander on the Moon's surface. He added that he was also pleased to see the confirmation and appreciation of this discovery by NASA. He also wished him the very best for his future. 

'I wish him very best for his future'

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera team released the first mosaic (acquired September 17) of the site on September 26 and many people downloaded the mosaic to search for signs of the Vikram lander. Among them was Shanmuga Subramanian who contacted the LRO project with positive identification of debris. After receiving this tip, the LROC team confirmed the identification by comparing before and after images. The NASA team in its image also credited Subramanian for the findings.

'I got confirmation from NASA today'

Speaking to news agency ANI, he said, "I was able to find something out of the ordinary in a particular spot. So, I thought this must be the debris. I got confirmation from NASA today."

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The image tweeted by NASA shows the Vikram Lander impact point and associated debris field. Green dots indicate spacecraft debris (confirmed or likely). Blue dots locate disturbed soil, likely were small bits of the spacecraft churned up the regolith. "S" indicates debris identified by Shanmuga Subramanian. 

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