Engineers recently tested a decked-out version of a prototype Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER – the most realistic yet – seen here during checkout and preparation activities at the Planetary Analog Test Site, known as the Rock Yard, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. VIPER is set to launch to the Moon through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative with Astrobotic of Pittsburgh.
By adding a few parts to simulate the Moon rover’s center of gravity, a new mast to carry cameras and antennas, a new computer, new flight software, and new motor controllers – this newest prototype is equipped with the latest-and-greatest. It’s now wrapping up a recent round of testing at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, which includes egress testing using a structural test model of Astrobotic’s Griffin lunar lander and trying out the prototype’s ability to drive while keeping its antenna pointing in the exact same direction.
This will be essential for direct communications between the rover on the lunar South Pole and the Deep Space Network, or DSN, on Earth. The data will allow mission controllers and the VIPER Science Team to command and retrieve rover and science data in the Multi-Mission Operations Center at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley.
Image Credits: NASA/Arno Rogg