Animation of NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) on the surface of the Moon. Credit: NASA Ames/Daniel Rutter
NASAEstablished in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government that succeeded the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). It is responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. It’s vision is “To discover and expand knowledge for the benefit of humanity.””>NASA will host a media teleconference Monday, September 20, at 4 p.m. EDT, to announce the lunar landing site for the agency’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER). The rover will be delivered to the Moon’s surface in late 2023 under the Artemis program and part of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative.
VIPER is the first resource-mapping mission on the surface of another celestial body. While on the Moon, VIPER will get a close-up view of the location and concentration of ice and other resources, assisting in the advancement of science and human exploration as part of Artemis missions.
Scientists and mission operators will leverage near real-time Earth-to-Moon communications and work together to drive the rover along an unexplored region of the Moon’s South Pole.
Illustration of NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) on the surface of the Moon. Credit: NASA Ames/Daniel Rutter
Audio of the teleconference will stream live online at:
https://www.nasa.gov/live
Briefing participants are:
- Lori Glaze, director of the Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters
- Daniel Andrews, VIPER project manager, NASA’s Ames Research Center
- Anthony Colaprete, VIPER lead project scientist, Ames
- Darlene Lim, VIPER deputy lead project scientist, Ames
- Darryl Gaines, deputy manager, NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services, NASA’s Johnson Space Center
Source: SciTechDaily
