Get to know VIPER, the Water Hunting Robot on the Moon

Exploration mission Moon what to do NASA involving the Volatile Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER). The robot was used to hunt for water there.

Experts previously revealed potential water sources on the Moon. Namely, the effect of volcanic eruptions on the Moon millions of years ago that triggered water vapor which then produced an ice surface.

“It’s possible that 5 or 10 meters below the surface, you will have a very large ice sheet,” said Paul Hayne, an assistant professor in the Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences (APS) and the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) University of Colorado Boulder, quoted from Phys.

NASA itself has long been looking for traces of water beyond Earth. VIPER was also deployed. The mobile robot will land at the Moon’s South Pole in late 2023, then will begin a search for ice and other potential resources on the Moon on a 100-day mission.

The information provided by Viper is expected to be input into knowledge about the origin and distribution of water on the Moon and help determine how to harvest lunar resources for future human space exploration.

NASA will use the data VIPER collects to show where the most potential and most accessible Moon ice is found.

The first lunar resource map will mark a critical step forward for NASA’s Artemis mission, to establish a long-term presence on the lunar surface.

Thanks to past missions such as satellites orbiting the Moon, some humans know there is ice at the Moon’s poles. But to be able to use it one day, more research is needed.

VIPER will explore the Moon with three of its instruments, including a one meter drill bit, to detect and analyze various lunar soil environments at various depths and temperatures.

The rover will also venture into permanently shadowed craters, some of the coldest places in the solar system, where ice reserves have persisted for billions of years. NASA.

The VIPER instrument will also make important scientific measurements, including determining the distribution, physical state and composition of ice deposits to understand the source of lunar polar water, providing insight into the distribution and origin of water and other volatiles throughout the solar system.

During its voyage on the Moon, the VIPER will survive dynamic lighting conditions as well as complex terrain. Here are the VIPER specifications, the water seeker on the Moon:

– Launched: Late 2023

– Landing site: South Pole Region of the Moon

– Mission Duration: 100 Earth days, covering the day and night cycle on the Moon

– Cruising power: 20 kilometers from the landing center

– Dimensions: Resembling a golf vehicle 1.5 meters long, 1.5 meters wide, 2.5 meters high, weighs 450 kilograms

– Power: Solar powered battery, 450 watts peak power

– Maximum speed: 0.45 mph

– Communication Connectivity: X-band direct-to-Earth (without relay) via Space Network

(can/fea)

[Gambas:Video CNN]

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