NASA’s VIPER rover to land on the Moon’s Nobile crater

After much deliberation, NASA has selected an intriguing location for its next Artemis rover mission: the rugged edge of an impact crater near the Moon’s South Pole.

The Volatiles investigates the polar exploration rover (VIPER) will be dropped off just outside the western edge of Nobile Crater, NASA announcement On Monday. This ancient crater, located near the South Pole of the Moon, is a very dark, cold and shady place, allowing the preservation of water ice. VIPER will have to survive the freezing temperatures there during its 100-day mission to the moon, scheduled for November 2023.

Indeed, the lunar South Pole is one of the coldest places in the solar system. No space agency has ever attempted to land there, and it has only been studied from a distance. Evidence suggests that water ice exists in significant quantities in the southern polar regions, hiding in shady craters and cold traps. By sending VIPER to Nobile Crater, NASA hopes to uncover signs of this ice and other resources, both on the surface and below the surface of the Moon.

“The data that VIPER will return will provide lunar scientists around the world with a deeper insight into the origin, evolution and cosmic history of our Moon, and it will also help inform future Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond by allowing us to better understand the lunar environment in these previously unexplored areas hundreds of thousands of kilometers away, ”Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for science at NASA headquarters, said in a statement.

The big picture is that NASA wants to create a global resource map and be able to predict where similar resources might exist elsewhere on the Moon. This information will be useful for future crewed missions to the lunar surface, while advancing NASA’s goal of establishing a long-range plan. presence on the Moon. The $ 433.5 million VIPER mission could also pave the way for future surface mining efforts.

VIPER will be launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket and will be delivered to the lunar surface via Astrobotic’s Griffon Lander. The 8-foot-tall (2.5-meter) rover is expected to travel 10 to 15 miles (16 to 24 km) during the mission, during which time it will explore an area measuring 36 square miles (93 square kilometers)..

Nobile Crater features accessible terrain and a wealth of nearby sites worthy of scientific exploration, including a bunch of small, shady craters for VIPER to explore with its headlights, the first for a rover out of the world. The four-wheel rover also features an advanced suspension system to help it navigate even the smoothest regoliths. Several spectrometers and a hammer drill will enable the scientific work of VIPER.

This mountainous region has many permanently shaded areas, but also areas exposed to the sun. These lighted areas will be of crucial importance to the mission, as VIPER will use its solar panels to recharge and stay warm, another factor in choosing Nobile Crater.

The current plan is for VIPER to visit six separate sites of scientific interest, with “extra time to spare,” according to NASA. Samples will be taken from at least three different drill sites and collected at different depths and temperatures. The mission could provide information on how the Moon acquired its frozen water and other resources, how they are preserved over time, and how much is escaping into space.

Following: The big news from NASA on the Moon: there’s water everywhere.