NASA astronauts will have their own robot dog on the moon
Working with a robot
It is a first: the first time astronauts work with a robot on a celestial body other than Earth. The device is called a MAPP, short for Lunar Outpost Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform. We still have to see whether it will be a kind of R2-D2 for the astronauts, since the tasks it performs will be much easier. The cart mainly contains instruments that should map how the dust on the moon moves. The reason we’re going to look at that is because of the last person to stand on the Moon: Gene Cernan. He says the dust on the moon is a problem for further exploration. The dust sticks to everything and is also abrasive.
Apollo era
Nicky Fox, deputy director of science at NASA, said: “The Apollo era has taught us that the further humanity moves from Earth, the more we rely on science to protect and sustain human life on other planets. By deploying these scientific instruments to the moon’s surface, our proving ground, NASA is leading the world in creating an interplanetary survival guide for humanity to ensure the health and safety of our spacecraft and human explorers as we begin begin our epic journey back to the moon.”It will be a long time before astronauts walk on the moon again. According to previous plans, it should have happened a long time ago, then next year, then 2027, and now it is only 2028 that NASA will put the first black person, the first woman, and the first astronauts on the moon in more than 50 years (!). However, another interesting launch is planned for 202: Artemis II. Four astronauts go to the moon, but they remain in orbit around the moon.
Artemis IV
Artemis IV will also follow, building on what was learned during the Artemis III missions at the South Pole. In any case, MAPP will provide reporting on dust on the moon during the missions, together with DUSTER (DUst and PlaSma environment survEyoR), a rather strange name but, of course, very appropriate for what it has to do. The size of the dust and its rate of movement are taken into account. The RESOLVE is also present: Relaxation SOunder and differential VoltagE, which look at the density of electrons above the moon. The biggest problem with moon dust is that it attracts everything on the moon like white cat hair on a black sweater. This dust also settles on solar panels and other equipment, preventing them from receiving energy. This can also cause thermal radiators to overheat. The dust is also dangerous to astronauts if inhaled, and you can bet their suits are full of it.
MAPP as moon dog
NASA still wants to build a kind of village on the moon where astronauts can live and do research. To do that, it needs to understand better how the dust moves, so it doesn’t throw a spanner in everything (and perhaps quite literally throw a spanner in the works). So yes, the MAPP accompanies the astronauts while they walk on the moon, which actually stirs up a lot of dust: there is no air, so the regolith blows up like crazy. In the meantime, NASA has decided who will deliver VIPER: Blue Origin has been given that task. That is the cart you see in the image above this article: this rover will help find ice at the moon’s south pole. So there is still a lot to happen on that cratered sphere that we see in the sky at night.