EFEThe Polar Exploration Vehicle for Volatile Research (VIPER) will land in 2023 at the south pole of the Moon to explore the presence of water and other resources, the US federal agency NASA reported on Monday.
NASA said today that the exact site of the mission, which is part of the Artemis program back to the Moon, will be near the western edge of the Nobile crater, where it will explore the surface and subsoil of the region.
The NASA team evaluated the rover’s viable trajectories, taking into account the places where VIPER could use its solar panels to charge and conserve heat during its 100-day journey.
“We are looking for answers to some pretty complex questions, and studying these resources on the Moon that have stood the test of time will help us answer them,” said Anthony Colaprete, lead scientist for the VIPER project.
VIPER, which will be launched aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket from the private company SpaceX, will study a lunar surface of approximately 93 square kilometers (36 square miles).
During the mission, the rover will collect samples at at least three sites from carefully selected areas that will provide a greater understanding of a wide range of different types of lunar environments, NASA detailed.
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The VIPER team will seek to analyze the characteristics of the ice and other resources using the sensors and the drill built into the rover.
Analysis of samples from a variety of depths and temperatures will help scientists better predict where else there may be ice on the Moon based on similar terrain, allowing NASA to produce a map of global resources.
The idea is to better understand the distribution of resources on the Moon and document future manned missions to establish a long-term presence on the lunar surface.
NASA explained that the lunar south pole is one of the coldest regions in the Solar System.
“No previous mission to the surface of the Moon has explored this region,” he added.
Data from previous missions helped scientists conclude that ice and other potential resources exist in areas of the Moon near the poles.
“The data that VIPER submits will provide lunar scientists around the world with a greater understanding of the cosmic origin, evolution and history of our Moon,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA Associate Administrator for Science.
He specified that they will help document future missions of Artemis to the Moon and beyond, by allowing a better understanding of the lunar environment in these areas “previously unexplored hundreds of thousands of miles away.”
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