NASA与蓝色起源合作重启VIPER月球车任务,计划2027年重返月球
内容总结:
美国国家航空航天局(NASA)近日宣布重启"VIPER"月球探冰车项目,计划于2027年借助蓝色起源公司的运载系统重返月球。该任务曾因预算超支和进度延误于去年被叫停,现通过"商业月球载荷服务计划"获得转机。
根据协议,蓝色起源公司将使用其"蓝月马克1号"着陆器执行运输任务,但需先向NASA提交详细着陆方案并通过验证。若一切顺利,这辆重约450公斤的探冰车将被送往月球南极极端环境,勘探水冰分布与储量,为未来可持续月球探索提供关键数据支撑。
NASA科学任务理事会副局长乔尔·凯恩斯表示:"此次任务不仅能定位最易开采的水冰资源,更有助于研究挥发性物质在太阳系中的分布与起源,深化人类对太空环境演化规律的认识。"
值得注意的是,蓝色起源尚未完成过月球着陆任务,其首艘"蓝月马克1号"着陆器预计于今年年底首次试飞,该次飞行数据将成为NASA最终决策的重要依据。目前专供VIPER任务使用的第二架着陆器已在制造中。
中文翻译:
美国国家航空航天局(NASA)与蓝色起源合作重启"毒蛇"号月球车任务,计划2027年探月
"毒蛇"月球探测任务或许将迎来转机。
NASA近日宣布重启极地挥发物勘探月球车(VIPER)项目——这项因多次延误和成本超支于去年被叫停的任务,现计划通过商业月球载荷服务(CLPS)计划,于2027年搭乘蓝色起源的航天器前往月球。根据协议,蓝色起源需首先规划并演示月球表面着陆方案,若方案获得NASA认可,"毒蛇"将由其"蓝月马克1号"着陆器执行运送任务。
虽然蓝色起源尚未实施过月球着陆,但其"蓝月马克1号"着陆器的首秀预计将于今年晚些时候通过另一项CLPS任务完成。该次任务数据将为NASA决定"毒蛇"的搭载方案提供参考,届时将使用目前已在建造的第二架马克1号着陆器。若计划顺利,"毒蛇"将被部署于月球南极极端环境中,搜寻水冰及其他支撑未来任务的资源。
NASA科学任务理事会探索任务副助理局长乔尔·卡恩斯表示:"此次任务将揭示最可能存在且最易开采的水冰资源,为人类未来开发利用提供依据。通过研究这些月球水来源,我们还能深入理解挥发物在太阳系的分布与起源,从而更好地认识宇宙环境的形成机制及内太阳系的演化历程。"
英文来源:
NASA resurrects its VIPER moon rover for a 2027 mission with Blue Origin
It may not be over for VIPER after all.
NASA is apparently giving its ice-scouting moon rover mission another try. The space agency has announced that the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) project — which was called off last year after a series of delays and mounting costs — could catch a ride to the moon with Blue Origin in 2027 under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. Blue Origin must first plan and demonstrate how the delivery at the lunar surface would work, and if it's all to NASA's liking, VIPER will be ferried by the company's Blue Moon Mark 1 lander.
Blue Origin hasn't yet attempted a moon landing, but the first opportunity for its Blue Moon Mark 1 lander is expected to launch later this year as part of another CLPS delivery. That mission will also help to inform NASA's decision about VIPER's rideshare, which would use a second Mark 1 lander that the agency says is already in production. If VIPER does eventually make it to the moon, it'll be deployed in the extreme environment of the lunar South Pole to search for water ice and other resources that could support future missions.
“This delivery could show us where ice is most likely to be found and easiest to access, as a future resource for humans,” said Joel Kearns, Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration with NASA's Science Mission Directorate, in a statement. “And by studying these sources of lunar water, we also gain valuable insight into the distribution and origin of volatiles across the solar system, helping us better understand the processes that have shaped our space environment and how our inner solar system has evolved.”
文章标题:NASA与蓝色起源合作重启VIPER月球车任务,计划2027年重返月球
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