In a few short months, the rover and its companions have achieved massive technological feats and uncovered a trove of meaningful data and fascinating photos. Researchers hope to gain a better sense of whether primordial life once existed on our celestial neighbor (and if so, where and when), and how technology may pave the way for astronauts to sustain their own lives during future voyages to its now-desolate surface. Over the course of that mission - lasting nearly two years, or one Martian year - the rover will conduct research using a range of instruments designed to probe the planet’s landscape for glimpses into its ancient past. The two fuels can then be used as power rockets and pursue more ambitious deep-space exploration.Perseverance, NASA’s latest rover, landed on Mars in February with a mission to answer questions about the past and future of life on the Red Planet. That's because water can give humans something to drink and grow food with, and it can also be split into hydrogen and oxygen. "And we have a whole bunch of stuff we have to invent and then test in order to learn before we can go deeper out."Ī major prerequisite for making the moon base possible - and one of the goals of the Artemis program - is to scout for and harvest lunar ice. We can afford to get it wrong and not kill everybody," Chris Hadfield, a former astronaut, previously told Business Insider. "A permanent human research station on the moon is the next logical step. A lunar base could even spur an off-world economy, perhaps one built around lunar space tourism. Astronauts there could also test technologies that might help them live on Mars and collect evidence that could paint a better picture of the violent collision that created the moon. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine answers questions during an event where nine companies where named as eligible to bid in the agency's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, Novemin Washington.Ī moon base could enable NASA to build unprecedented radio telescopes, far from the polluting hum of human activities on Earth. Regardless, the launch would achieve the first major goal in NASA's Artemis program, which was created as a successor to Apollo. A promotional video released by NASA on Thursday appears to show Griffin launching on an Atlas V rocket, which is built by United Launch Alliance (ULA), but a spokesperson for ULA declined to comment. The rocket system that would actually get Griffin off of Earth, however, "is still to be determined," a spokesperson for Astrobotic told Business Insider. We look forward to making you and our nation proud." Thank you to our friends at NASA for this great honor. "This is a truly momentous opportunity for Astrobotic. Today we are so excited to announce that our Griffin lander will deliver NASA's VIPER rover to the pole of the moon in 2023," Astrobotic CEO John Thornton told Business Insider in an emailed statement. "Thirteen years ago, we started Astrobotic to make the moon accessible to the world. NASA Associate Administrator Thomas Zurbuchen (second from right) speaks to Astrobotic CEO John Thornton (left) and Astrobotic mission director Sharad Bhaskaran (second from left), about the company's Peregrine lunar lander, May 31, 2019, at Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.Īstrobiotic's plan calls for VIPER to ride on top of the car-size Griffin lander during its descent to the moon, then roll down a set of ramps that'd unfurl after landing. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.
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