NASA Chooses Moon Landing Site for Ice-Seeking Rover

NASA Chooses Moon Landing Site for Ice-Seeking Rover

The American space agency NASA has chosen the moon landing site for a new ice-seeking explorer set to arrive in 2023.

The explorer, or rover, will be sent to an area on the moon's south pole called Nobile Crater¹. The robotic vehicle is called Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER².

VIPER's purpose will be "to map and explore the region's surface and subsurface for water and other resources," NASA said in a recent announcement.

Nobile Crater was formed through a crash with a space object.

VIPER measures 1.5 meters by 1.5 meters by 2.5 meters. It weighs 430 kilograms. Unlike the rovers used on Mars, VIPER can be piloted nearly in real time, because the distance from Earth is much shorter.

VIPER is solar-powered and comes with a 50-hour battery that was built to withstand extreme temperatures. It was designed with the ability to "walk" sideways so that its solar equipment can stay pointed³ toward the sun.

The mission is part of NASA's Artemis program, which aims to land the first woman and next man on the moon by 2024. The program's long-term goal is to establish a continued human presence on the moon.

NASA says it will be the first mission to explore the surface of the moon's south pole. This is one of the coldest areas in our solar system. So far, it has only been studied by orbiters and satellites observing the moon. Data collected from those observations led scientists to believe that ice and other resources likely exist in areas near the moon's poles. Some of these areas remain permanently⁴ blocked from the sun.

NASA says such areas can reach temperatures as low as minus 248 degrees Celsius⁵. Scientists believe the south pole's frozen water could date back billions of years.

Lori Glaze⁶ is the director of NASA's planetary science division. She told reporters: "The rover is going to get up close and personal with the lunar soil, even drilling several feet down."

NASA says the search for ice on the moon is important because it is seen as a necessary resource for future exploration activities. Astronauts could use the ice for drinking water and to cool equipment or make rocket fuel for missions deeper into the solar system.

NASA says it chose a mountainous area on the western edge of the Nobile Crater for the landing because it contains many "nearby sites of scientific interest." It also has surface areas that the rover can effectively explore.

Daniel Andrews is overseeing the VIPER project. He said in a statement that "years of study" had gone into examining the polar area the rover will explore. "VIPER is going into uncharted territory -- informed by science -- to test hypotheses and reveal critical information for future human space exploration."

NASA hopes the data and samples that VIPER collects will help scientists find other places where water might exist on the moon. The mission also aims to help NASA better understand how frozen water first reached the moon and how it was able to survive for billions of years.

Words in This Story

crater – n. a round hole made by an explosive force such as a bomb or an object falling from the sky

region – n. a particular area

battery – n. an electric cell or connected electric cells for providing electric current

mission – n. an important project or trip, especially involving space travel

drill – v. to use a tool or machine to make holes in a hard substance

uncharted – adj. an area that has not had a map made of it and has not been described

hypothesis – n. an idea or explanation for something that is based on known facts but has not been proven

reveal – v. make known something that is surprising or that was previously⁷ secret

sample – n. a small amount of something that gives you information about the thing it was taken from

1 crater   

n.火山口，弹坑

参考例句：

• With a telescope you can see the huge crater of Ve-suvius.用望远镜你能看到巨大的维苏威火山口。
• They came to the lip of a dead crater.他们来到了一个死火山口。

2 viper   

n.毒蛇；危险的人

参考例句：

• Envy lucks at the bottom of the human heart a viper in its hole.嫉妒潜伏在人心底，如同毒蛇潜伏在穴中。
• Be careful of that viper;he is dangerous.小心那个阴险的人，他很危险。

3 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

4 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

5 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

6 glaze   

v.因疲倦、疲劳等指眼睛变得呆滞，毫无表情

参考例句：

• Brush the glaze over the top and sides of the hot cake.在热蛋糕的顶上和周围刷上一层蛋浆。
• Tang three-color glaze horses are famous for their perfect design and realism.唐三彩上釉马以其造型精美和形态生动而著名。

7 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。