Earth's Moon is tiny compared to our planet itself, but it's big enough that our efforts to explore it have really only scratched the surface. Once thought to be little more than a pale, dusty, crater-covered rock, researchers have gradually revealed that the Moon is actually a pretty special place. Water, which isn't something we ever associated with the Moon, may actually be abundant, though it's likely locked away as ice in the lunar soil called regolith. Now, as part of NASA's Artemis program which will see humans return to the Moon in the years to come, the space agency is planning on launching its VIPER mission by late 2023.
VIPER, which stands for Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, is a robot that will be sent to the South Pole of the Moon to hunt for resources that could be used for future missions. The idea is simple: If the Moon has resources that deep-space missions can use, stopping at the Moon to collect those resources before heading deeper into the solar system makes a lot of sense. Also, if we ever hope to set up shop on the Moon on a permanent or temporary basis, we're going to need resources that the Moon itself may be able to provide.
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Here’s how NASA will search for water on the Moon originally appeared on BGR.com on Mon, 24 May 2021 at 19:33:31 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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