{"id":614080,"date":"2024-02-13T12:41:53","date_gmt":"2024-02-13T17:41:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?p=614080"},"modified":"2024-02-15T15:26:31","modified_gmt":"2024-02-15T20:26:31","slug":"into-the-belly-of-the-rover-vipers-final-science-instrument-installed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/general\/into-the-belly-of-the-rover-vipers-final-science-instrument-installed\/","title":{"rendered":"Into the Belly of the Rover: VIPER\u2019s Final Science Instrument Installed\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-cover \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/jsc2024e006254.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/jsc2024e006254.jpg?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1.2); transform-origin: 77% 33%; object-position: 77% 33%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/jsc2024e006254.jpg 8256w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/jsc2024e006254.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/jsc2024e006254.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/jsc2024e006254.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/jsc2024e006254.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/jsc2024e006254.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/jsc2024e006254.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/jsc2024e006254.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/jsc2024e006254.jpg?resize=900,600 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/jsc2024e006254.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/jsc2024e006254.jpg?resize=2000,1333 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">A team of engineers prepares to integrate TRIDENT \u2013 short for The Regolith Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain \u2013 into the belly of NASA\u2019s first robotic Moon rover, VIPER \u2013 short for the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover. <\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA\/Bill Stafford<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>A team of engineers prepares to integrate TRIDENT \u2013 short for The Regolith Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain \u2013 into the belly of NASA\u2019s first robotic Moon rover, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/viper\/overview\">VIPER<\/a> (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>TRIDENT, designed and developed by engineers at Honeybee Robotics in Altadena, California, is the fourth and final science instrument to be installed into VIPER. NASA engineers have already successfully integrated VIPER\u2019s three other science instruments into the rover. These include: the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/image-feature\/msolo-science-instrument-for-viper-arrives-at-johnson-space-center\">MSOLO<\/a> (Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/image-feature\/ames\/first-science-instrument-for-viper-moon-rover-delivered\">NIRVSS<\/a> (Near-Infrared Volatiles Spectrometer System), and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/image-feature\/ames\/nss-arrival\">NSS<\/a> (Neutron Spectrometer System). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shortly after TRIDENT was integrated in the clean room at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston, the team also successfully tested its ability to power on, release the locks that hold the drill in place during launch, extend to its full depth of more than three feet (one meter), perform percussive drilling, and return to its stowed position inside the rover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>TRIDENT will dig up soil from below the lunar surface using a rotary percussive drill \u2013 meaning it both spins to cut into the ground and hammers to fragment hard material for more energy-efficient drilling. In addition to being able to measure the strength and compactedness of the lunar soil, the drill also carries a temperature sensor to take readings below the surface. VIPER will launch to the Moon aboard Astrobotic\u2019s Griffin lunar lander on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket as part of NASA\u2019s\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/commercial-lunar-payload-services\">Commercial Lunar Payload Services<\/a> initiative. It will reach its destination at Mons Mouton near the Moon\u2019s South Pole. Scientists will work with these four instruments to better understand the origin of water and other resources on the Moon, which could support human exploration as part of NASA\u2019s\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/specials\/artemis\/\">Artemis<\/a>\u202fcampaign.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A team of engineers prepares to integrate TRIDENT \u2013 short for The Regolith Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain \u2013 into the belly of NASA\u2019s first robotic Moon rover, VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover).  TRIDENT, designed and developed by engineers at Honeybee Robotics in Altadena, California, is the fourth and final science instrument to be installed [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":261,"featured_media":614099,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,2854,3760,2914,10751],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[],"coauthors":[10808],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Into the Belly of the Rover: VIPER\u2019s Final Science Instrument Installed\u00a0","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/general\/into-the-belly-of-the-rover-vipers-final-science-instrument-installed\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/general\/into-the-belly-of-the-rover-vipers-final-science-instrument-installed\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/jsc2024e006254.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/jsc2024e006254.jpg"},"articleSection":"General","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rachel Hoover"}],"creator":["Rachel Hoover"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["Missions","VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover)","General","Ames Research Center","Earth's Moon","In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU)"],"dateCreated":"2024-02-13T17:41:53Z","datePublished":"2024-02-13T17:41:53Z","dateModified":"2024-02-15T20:26:31Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"Into the Belly of the Rover: VIPER\u2019s Final Science Instrument Installed\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/general\/into-the-belly-of-the-rover-vipers-final-science-instrument-installed\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/jsc2024e006254.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2024-02-13T17:41:53Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"General\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"Missions,VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover),General,Ames Research Center,Earth's Moon,In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU)\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"Rachel Hoover\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":2,"time_ago":"4 months","featured_image":{"id":614099,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/jsc2024e006254.jpg","title":"jsc2024e006254","alt":"","caption":"A team of engineers prepare to integrate TRIDENT \u2013 short for The Regolith Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain \u2013 into the belly of NASA\u2019s first robotic Moon rover, VIPER \u2013 short for the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover. 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