viper moon rover

[North]

dose anyone know if NASA is actually going to launch the viper moon rover mission?

 

[COLGeek]

Still showing as a future mission on NASA's site:

VIPER - NASA Science

Overview NASA’s Artemis lunar rover, the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, is designed to explore the relatively nearby but extreme environment of the Moon in search of ice and other potential resources. This mobile robot was slated to land at the South Pole of the Moon...

science.nasa.gov

 

[North]

I also saw it scheduled for launch for launch but a month ago a saw that they where going to cancel but i also saw on a NASA page that they still going to cancel it.

 

[COLGeek]

I also saw it scheduled for launch for launch but a month ago a saw that they where going to cancel but i also saw on a NASA page that they still going to cancel it.

This?

NASA Ends VIPER Project, Continues Moon Exploration - NASA

Following a comprehensive internal review, NASA announced Wednesday its intent to discontinue development of its VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar

www.nasa.gov

Was on page I sent earlier. Not looking good for the project.

 

[North]

so is it cancelled or not

 

[COLGeek]

so is it cancelled or not

I would assume it cancelled.

 

[North]

okay good to know

 

[Hevach]

They haven't scrapped the rover quite yet. It sounds like there's some chance that they'll be able to do an end run around the law, saving missions on the brink is one of the things Isaacman wants to focus on.

Unless the mission is explicitly authorized by Congress there's a hard limit on spending and strict rules against breaking contracts and Viper can afford to pay for the launch contract but once it's on the moon any operation will blow past the limit... But there's possibly room to end run the law or just ignore it and dare anyone to hold them accountable, which is something Bill Nelson isn't apt to do.

 

[North]

good I think this mission is quite cool also really want to watch the launch
and do you know anything more about Isaacman's intentions

 

[Hevach]

Not a lot. It's always a wildcard with a new administration and he's getting mixed support from both parties ahead of confirmation hearings so he might not even get the job.

He's an advocate for science and spaceflight, which is good. But he's also said concerning things in the past about NASA selling off assets and missions to private bidders. He's also very keen on the Dragon mission to repair Hubble, which is a double edged sword. Going off half cocked with a system that's not ready yet could have disastrous results, but properly developing a capability we never fully realized with the shuttle would have immense and long lasting rewards. I'm not confident which way he's likely to go on that.

He's also coming in with an administration where accountability and rules are liable to be hypotheticals. He also didn't write most of the rules like Nelson did. That means for good or bad he's at least likely to achieve any of his ends that fit in the budget.

 

[North]

how likely is it that he get to be administrator also is he differently going to sell assets and missions. Is the dragon mission to repair Hubble even worth it I thought Hubble was just going to die soon.

 

[Hevach]

No, he's not definitely going to kick off a fire sale. But there's always an expectation that when an advocate gains the power to act they will at least try.

Hubble could be prolonged further if a repair mission could be pulled off successfully. It's almost out of working gyros and has had some electronics and instruments fail, but many of those are things that were designed for EVA replacement by a shuttle crew.

Even with the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope coming there will be a line around the block for the limited observation time. As all things it's a question of money - not to fix it but to keep it running for another decade afterwards. Money and people who NASA might have planned to move over to the new telescope.