The Challenges of Endurance and Medications in Space

ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 and Japan’s Successful Lunar Lander

• Chandrayaan-3, an Indian lunar mission, was designed to last around 14 days on the Moon due to extreme temperature variations.
• Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced the success of its lunar lander, Thin, which survived two lunar nights.

Japan’s Achievement in Lunar Landing

• Thin made Japan the fifth country to land a spacecraft softly on the Moon.
• Despite landing on its nose, Thin managed to function and collect valuable scientific data.

Challenges Faced by Thin

• Thin’s solar panels couldn’t generate enough energy due to its unusual landing position.
• It went offline initially but later resumed operations.

Survival through Lunar Nights

• Thin successfully endured two lunar nights, each lasting about 14 Earth days.
• Most spacecraft typically fail during lunar nights due to freezing temperatures, but Thin continued to function.

Space Medicine: Manufacturing in Space

• Varda Space Businesses manufactured the HIV drug ritonavir in space.
• Manufacturing drugs in space could be crucial for future space exploration beyond the Moon.

Importance of Space Medicine

• Space medicines could be vital for longer space missions where reliance on Earth-made drugs may not be practical.
• Crystallization of drugs in space can lead to more stable formulations with better efficacy.
• Space-produced drugs like Keytruda have shown promising results, offering potential advantages over Earth-made versions.

Future Prospects

• Manufacturing drugs in space could revolutionize medical science but requires further research and development.
• Despite the high costs involved, space medicine holds immense potential for future space exploration endeavors.