[Music]
The future of human space exploration is being driven
by what we can discover and accomplish on the Moon.
And with NASA’s confirmation of ice
existing at the lunar South Pole,
the critical task of finding and mapping where water exists,
what form it is in, and where it came from, can now begin.
Leading us on that journey will be NASA’s first
mobile robotic mission on the Moon, known as VIPER –
the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover.
It will be delivered to the Nobile region of the South Pole
as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative.
This region sits just outside of the western rim of Nobile Crater,
and covers an area of 36 square miles.
As the first-ever resource mapping mission
on the surface of another celestial body,
VIPER will roam the surface equipped with
three science instruments and a drill
to detect and analyze various lunar soil environments
at a range of depths and temperatures.
The rover will venture into permanently shadowed craters,
some of the coldest spots in the solar system,
where ice reserves have been preserved for billions of years.
NASA had four critical parameters
when choosing a landing site for VIPER:
available sunlight,
Earth visibility for communications from the Moon to the Earth,
data showing the potential presence of water
and other resources,
and terrain that is well-suited for VIPER to navigate.
The area to the west of Nobile crater met these conditions.
Once on the surface, VIPER’s mission will last 100 days
and cover between 10 to 15 miles.
And while a baseline traverse route through the Nobile region
has been identified for the rover,
the scientific discoveries VIPER makes along the way
will actually influence where the mission team sends it next,
so it’s planned route will most likely change.
During its travels, VIPER will visit at least six locations
where data suggest ice could be found.
By helping determine the locations
of where water and other resources exist,
VIPER’s findings will help pave the way
for future landing sites under NASA’s Artemis program.
The prospects of achieving a long-term human presence
on our Moon never looked so bright.
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