After Mars, where NASA has already placed several rovers, it is time for the American space agency to turn back to the Moon. That is, NASA plans to send its first mobile robot to our natural satellite in late 2023.
The VIPER is a rover whose mission is to search for water and other resources on the surface and underground.
Rover VIPER is a moon exploration robot from the Artemis mission
NASA already has plans to send the VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) to lunar soil in order to collect data at the South Pole that will help the agency locate everything that could one day be useful for future human explorers.
This rover is part of the Artemis program and NASA's desire to return to the place where more than 50 years ago it made history in space. A curious fact is that this vehicle is the first to bring headlights to illuminate the way in the exploration of the permanently shaded regions of the Moon.
The interest in these dark areas, in addition to the possibility of storing water, is not seeing sunlight for billions of years. Incidentally, they are referred to as some of the coldest points in the solar system. Thus, this lunar vehicle will have to challenge its capabilities, in addition to running on solar energy. It will face extreme temperatures ranging from -153 ° C to 123 ° C when the sun hits the moon.
VIPER data has the potential to help our scientists determine accurate locations and concentrations of ice on the Moon and will help us assess the environment and potential resources at the lunar South Pole in preparation for Artemis astronauts.
This is yet another example of how robotic science missions and human exploration go hand in hand, and why both are needed as we prepare to establish a sustainable presence on the Moon.
Explained Lori Glaze, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division in Washington.
NASA seeks to explore places where water ice exists, which can be used as breathable air and rocket propellant by future deep space explorers.
So, instead of these resources being taken from Earth, they can already be there and make the missions more sustainable.
From Earth to the Moon
The VIPER will travel aboard the Griffin lunar module. Once on the Moon, the robot will explore the craters for three lunar days (100 Earth days). To do this, the rover will use a specialized set of wheels and a suspension system to cover a variety of slopes and types of soil.
In addition, it will take four instruments: a percussion drill (Trident) and three spectrometers (MSolo, Nirvss and NSS).
The company responsible for the launch, transit and delivery of the VIPER to the lunar surface is Astrobotic. The company is part of the NASA program, Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), that is hiring transport services capable of sending small "landers”Robotic lunar and exploration vehicles to our natural satellite.
