Unique Facts About VIPER, NASA’s Water-Seeking Lunar Rover

The Volatile Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) is a NASA lunar rover that will settle on the moon around the end of 2023. NASA VIPER moon rover is scheduled to land in the moon’s south pole to study areas that are not exposed to sunlight.

NASA expects that the lunar rover’s investigation will reveal water on the moon to sustain human life. The availability of water on the lunar surface might pave the way for NASA’s next mission, Artemis, which aims to return humans to the moon by 2024.

Find out the facts about NASA VIPER moon rover

VIPER’s primary task is to seek water

Water is an essential resource for human life. It is crucial not only for human consumption but also for space exploration. Water, for example, can be used as a radiation barrier; it can also be used to make rocket fuel and breathable oxygen.

In 2009, scientists found traces of water on the surface of the moon’s south pole. However, this research was solely carried through satellite observations. Whether or not this discovery is true has remained unknown, and if it is, how the water flowed on the moon surface is still a mystery today.

Illustration of the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) on the surface of the Moon. NASA/Ames Research Center

Therefore, NASA VIPER was created. This lunar rover is designed to dig into the lunar soil and provide an in-depth examination in which remote access cannot reach.

“To really get at the heart of some of these questions, we need to get to the surface,” Anthony Colaprete, NASA’s project scientist of VIPER said. “That’s where the VIPER rover comes in.”

If there is really water on the moon, sending humans and increasing exploration time become achievable.

[irp posts=”66″ name=”NASA Unveils Prototype Lunar Spacesuit Astronauts Will Wear On The Moon”]

VIPER can withstand super cold temperatures

Since VIPER’s mission is to search for water or ice in areas that never see sunlight, thus scientists believe the areas must be extremely cold.

During the day, the temperature at the south pole of the moon reaches 107 degrees Celsius. In contrast, the temperature at night can drop to -240 degrees Celsius. This significant temperature difference during the day and night is due to the thin atmosphere of the moon.

However, VIPER has been designed to be able to resist sub-zero conditions. To keep the water-seeking lunar rover warm, NASA employed the technology of solar panels.

Different from the Perseverance space probe, which has been launched to Mars, the Mars rover uses nuclear energy to keep it warm.

NASA

VIPER will hibernate to survive

VIPER cannot communicate without a direct radio link to Earth as there are no satellites that can transmit communications to the planet. To maintain a smooth direct radio connection contact to the Earth, VIPER must avoid huge landscapes like mountains or high craters.

When the moon’s south pole spins out of view, which happens 14 days a month, the rover must stay in a safe hideout until communication can continue. While the NASA VIPER lunar rover perched in its hideout, it is “just sitting there in the sun, basking, just relaxing,” according to Colaprete.

These safe spots are particularly sunny, allowing the rover to gather enough energy to survive when darkness falls and temperature drops. During that period, VIPER will hibernate, relying on its energy supplies to stay warm and alive.

[irp posts=”1989″ name=”Australia to Build Lunar Rover in Joint Mission With NASA”]

The mission will take place during the summer on the moon’s south pole to optimize the provision of life during the day. NASA intends to get 100 days from this mission which will run from November 2023 to March 2024.

When summer comes to an end on the moon, the dark period will last longer until VIPER can no longer generate enough energy to sustain itself.

WATCH: NASA VIPER: Water-seeking robotic moon rover