Space Industry and Business News  
MOON DAILY
New moon rover tested in Lunar Operations Lab
by Staff Writers
Cleveland OH (SPX) Jan 14, 2020

The Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER)

An engineering model of the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, is tested in the Simulated Lunar Operations Laboratory at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

About the size of a golf cart, VIPER is a mobile robot that will roam around the Moon's South Pole looking for water ice in the region and for the first time ever, actually sample the water ice at the same pole where the first woman and next man will land in 2024 under the Artemis program.

The large, adjustable soil bin contains lunar simulant and allows engineers to mimic the Moon's terrain. Engineers from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, where the rover was designed and built, joined the Glenn team to complete the tests.

Test data will be used to evaluate the traction of the vehicle and wheels, determine the power requirements for a variety of maneuvers and compare methods of traversing steep slopes. Respirators are worn by researchers to protect against the airborne silica that is present during testing.

VIPER is a collaboration within and beyond the agency. NASA's Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley is managing the project, leading the mission's science, systems engineering, real-time rover surface operations and software. The rover's instruments are provided by Ames, NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and commercial partner, Honeybee Robotics in California.

The spacecraft, lander and launch vehicle that will deliver VIPER to the surface of the Moon will be provided through NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, delivering science and technology payloads to and near the Moon.


Related Links
Simulated Lunar Operations Laboratory
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


MOON DAILY
China's lunar rover travels over 357 meters on moon's far side
Beijing (XNA) Jan 06, 2020
China's lunar rover Yutu-2 has driven 357.695 meters on the far side of the moon to conduct scientific exploration of the virgin territory. Both the lander and the rover of the Chang'e-4 probe have ended their work for the 13th lunar day on Thursday (Beijing time), and switched to dormant mode for the lunar night, according to the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration. The scientific instruments on the lander and rover worked as planned. The ro ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

MOON DAILY
Skin-like sensors bring a human touch to wearable tech

Russian spy satellite has broken up in space says harvard astronomer

Ultrasound can make stronger 3D-printed alloys

NUS scientists create world's first monolayer amorphous film

MOON DAILY
General Dynamics receives $730M for next-gen satcom system

Airbus' marks 50 years in Skynet secure satellite communications for UK

Lockheed Martin gets $3.3B contract for communications satellite work

MOON DAILY
MOON DAILY
China Focus: China to complete Beidou-3 satellite system in 2020

China's Beidou navigation system to provide unique services

From airport approaches to eCall in cars in 10 years with EGNOS

Satnav watching over rugby players

MOON DAILY
Britain strikes last-minute deal to keep Flybe flying

Leonardo nets $176.5M for 32 TH-37A helicopters for Navy

SuperTIGER on its second prowl high above Antarctica

Lockheed announces $3B deal for 50 C-130J Super Hercules aircraft

MOON DAILY
Nano antennas for data transfer

Growing strained crystals could improve performance of perovskite electronics

New method gives robust transistors

Paving the way for spintronic RAMs: A deeper look into a powerful spin phenomenon

MOON DAILY
Shocked meteorites provide clues to Earth's lower mantle

Aeolus winds now in daily weather forecasts

Evolving landscape added fuel to Gobi Desert's high-speed winds

Landsat 9: The Pieces Come Together

MOON DAILY
India blows up luxury high-rises over environmental violations

How US sewage plants can remove medicines from wastewater

House passes bill regulating PFAS use, cleanup on military bases, in drinking water

Citizens battle to save China's sickly 'mother river'









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.