On this site you can send your name to the south pole of the Moon

Artist’s impression of NASA’s complete VIPER design, which will allow a close-up view of the location and concentration of ice and other resources at the Moon’s South Pole. (NASA/Daniel Rutter)

NASA has launched a campaign allowing anyone who wishes to send their name to the Moon’s inhospitable south pole, using the Viper rover, whose mission is scheduled to launch in late 2024.

Interested parties will have until March 15 to register their data on www3.nasa.gov/send-your-name-with-viper/#user-information, the website enabled by the US space agency for this process.

All those who want to be part of this space adventure which aims to examine the lunar surface in search of ice and other resources necessary for future human settlements will only have to confirm:

– Your name.

– Surname.

– A 4 to 7 digit code.

The page where users can register their name. (JAR)

The opportunity to participate in this initiative follows the success of a similar campaign with the Perseverance rover on Mars.

However, NASA has not yet detailed the specific method by which names will be stored on the Viper, although it is expected to be methods such as digital memory or writing on a chip.

Expectations are high, especially among the younger ones, who find in these projects the opportunity to “travel” through space in a symbolic way.

NASA will use innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before. (Image/NASA)

The Viper rover is part of the ambitious Artemis mission, whose goal is to return humans to the Moon after more than 50 years, including the first woman.

Before this big step, Viper will explore one of the most hostile areas of the satellite, characterized by extreme temperatures close to -200 degrees Celsius and zero sun exposure in some places.

NASA has decided to subcontract the sending of the rover to the Moon through the company Astrobotic, which will be responsible for completing the Mission One mission, inserting the Viper into a lander that will be transported by a rocket from SpaceX, a space company owned by Elon Musk.

This approach is part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative which aims for more profitable and efficient commercial collaboration between the public and private sectors.

Successful launch of the Peregrine mission to the Moon despite an energy anomaly

The Peregrine module is running out of charge heading towards the Moon after a successful launch. (EFE/EPA/CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH)

The Peregrine Mission One (PM1) of the American company Astrobotic successfully launched to the Moon from the Cape Canaveral space station in Florida, carrying NASA instruments and cargo from several countries.

However, the spacecraft is experiencing difficulties with its energy supply due to an “anomaly” that prevents it from maintaining the correct orientation of its solar panels towards the Sun, which is essential for continuing its trajectory towards the lunar surface.

The launch was carried out using United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket, marking its operational debut.

Although Peregrine managed to enter a safe operating mode after activating its propulsion systems, the anomaly threatens the continuation of the mission, which is the first commercial, robotic mission in the United States targeting the Terra satellite.

The American lunar lander loses fuel. (ASTROBOTIC)

Astrobotic engineers are currently evaluating the issue and an update is planned. Prior to the accident, reception of telemetry via NASA’s Deep Space Network and satisfactory startup of onboard systems had been confirmed.

Astrobotic, for its part, confirmed the correct separation of the module from the second stage of the rocket and that, before the failure, the systems had been successfully activated.

In addition to carrying equipment and experiments, the Vulcan Centaur took off with additional cargo that included memorabilia such as DNA samples from three former American presidents and the ashes of actors from the famous “Star Trek” series.

2024-01-08 19:23:00
#site #send #south #pole #Moon