Space Science

NASA Considers a Rover Mission to Explore Lunar Pits

Unveiling the Moon’s Hidden Depths

The lunar surface is dotted with deep caverns and pits, holding tantalizing clues to the moon’s history and potential for future human habitation. NASA is considering a groundbreaking mission called Moon Diver, an extreme terrain rover designed to rappel into one of these lunar pits, providing humanity’s first close-up look at the moon’s subterranean realms.

Moon Diver: An Extreme Terrain Rover

Moon Diver is a concept for a robotic rover designed to explore the rugged terrain of lunar pits. Unlike any other rover sent to another world, Moon Diver will not require a ramp to roll off its lander element; instead, it is equipped with specialized capabilities for rappelling down steep slopes. A tether to the rover will provide power and communications as it descends.

Scientific Exploration of Lunar Pits

The scientific objectives of the Moon Diver mission are multifaceted. By studying the exposed rock layers within the pit walls, scientists aim to unravel the moon’s geological history, including the types, fluxes, and timescales of ancient lava eruptions. The rover’s instruments will also analyze the mineralogy and elemental chemistry of rock features, potentially revealing whether the moon ever possessed a Mars-like atmosphere.

Potential for Future Lunar Exploration

Beyond its scientific value, the Moon Diver mission also has implications for future human exploration of the moon. Lunar caverns could provide shelter for future equipment or even crewed research centers. They offer protection from radiation, micrometeorites, lunar dust, and extreme temperature fluctuations. By exploring these deep lunar pits, scientists can gain a better understanding of the potential for establishing a subterranean moon base.

Design and Capabilities of Moon Diver

Moon Diver will touch down within a few hundred feet of its target pit and act as an anchor for a smaller, two-wheeled rover called Axel. Axel will carry multiple instrument payloads, including stereo cameras for close-up imaging, a long-distance camera, a multispectral microscope, and an alpha particle x-ray spectrometer.

As Axel descends into the pit, it will operate in a manner similar to a human rappeller, swinging and tapping against the walls. The science instruments will deploy and collect data at these contact points. During the freefall portion of the descent, the rover will capture images of its surroundings.

Once it reaches the bottom of the pit, Axel will explore the cavern floor, providing humanity’s first close look at the subterranean realms of the moon. The rover carries six times as much tether as it needs, enabling it to descend to the deepest depths of the cavern and discover what lies below.

Competing for Selection

Moon Diver will be competing for selection as part of NASA’s low-cost Discovery-class mission program. If chosen, the mission would launch for the moon around 2025. Competing proposals presented at LPSC include missions to Triton, Neptune’s largest moon, and Io, Jupiter’s volcanic satellite.

Lunar Exploration: A Long-Term Goal

The Moon Diver mission is part of NASA’s long-term goal of lunar exploration. The agency plans to construct a lunar outpost in orbit around the moon and use the station as a stepping stone for crewed missions to the surface. However, before astronauts return, a small, two-wheeled rover like Moon Diver could scout out the deep lunar pits to assess their potential for future human habitation and scientific exploration.

By exploring the hidden depths of the moon, Moon Diver promises to unlock new insights into our celestial neighbor’s past and pave the way for future lunar exploration and scientific discovery.