NASA’s Artemis mission isn’t just about putting humans back on the Moon, but also about ferrying machines including the water hunting Viper lunar rover. The space agency recently unveiled the destination the rover will explore – the Nobile region on the Moon’s South Pole.
Viper is an abbreviation for Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover and it’s set to visit the western edge of the Nobile Crater. It will map the area and hunt for water at the surface and below. The space agency describes Moon’s South Pole as “one of the coldest areas in our solar system.”
Nobile region an ideal place for water
The Nobile region is home to a lot of shaded areas that can be ideal spots to look for ice. The solar-powered rover will be aiming for a 100-day mission. It will drill, collect, and examine samples. Researchers are hoping that learning about water and other resources in this area of the moon will help them plan future crewed missions.
NASA has also shared a video tour of the landing site that shows a possible route the Viper might cover. The space agency is interested in ice deposits on the Moon since it is a cornerstone of NASA’s plans for human exploration farther out into the solar system.
It’s expensive and extremely difficult to transport water through space, so NASA is figuring out ways to access resources that are already there on the lunar surface, eventually, Mars. Viper is scheduled to take off in 2023 on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
Setting up a lunar base
It will ride along with space robotics firm Astrobotic’s Griffin lander, which will deploy the rover on the surface of the Moon. All this could enable the space agency to set a long-term human presence on the Moon. It might sound close in astronomical terms, but still a long way from home.
Besides, NASA is testing a 3D printer developed by Redwire for its upcoming Artemis Moon missions. The space agency hopes to make the moon’s dusty soil as raw material for printing. The main idea is to make use of available materials on the Moon to make what is required rather than carrying heavy equipment from Earth.
