The small landers are testing their engines so small payloads could be sent to the Moon within 3-4 years by a university.
Quote from: A_M_Swallow on 05/01/2018 05:06 amThe small landers are testing their engines so small payloads could be sent to the Moon within 3-4 years by a university. Even assuming that timeline is accurate, there's no clear indication of the value of a small lander. What are the actual requirements? What could actually be done with a small landed payload?They're still wandering around on this, trying to figure out what to do and why, and who could actually do it.
]In case of RP is was develop a mission, then payload/equipment to do it. Next came rover to carry payload then finally lander to deliver it. Typical NASA robotic mission.
Quote from: Blackstar on 05/01/2018 10:33 amQuote from: A_M_Swallow on 05/01/2018 05:06 amThe small landers are testing their engines so small payloads could be sent to the Moon within 3-4 years by a university. Even assuming that timeline is accurate, there's no clear indication of the value of a small lander. What are the actual requirements? What could actually be done with a small landed payload?They're still wandering around on this, trying to figure out what to do and why, and who could actually do it.In case of RP is was develop a mission, then payload/equipment to do it. Next came rover to carry payload then finally lander to deliver it. Typical NASA robotic mission. They are switching to what missions or parts of missions can we do using commercially available landers and rovers. Moon Express MX1 and Astrobotic's Peregrine will be first commercial landers. There are also small commercial rovers in development that can use these landers.Landed payload mass these of landers varies a lot based on launch vehicle used. I think Peregrine needs likes of Atlas ad F9 while MX1 and MX2 can make use of Electron, LauncherOne and Firefly Alpha when its available.
May 3, 2018NASA Expands Plans for Moon Exploration: More Missions, More ScienceNASA is returning to the Moon with commercial and international partners as part of an overall agency Exploration Campaign in support of Space Policy Directive 1. It all starts with robotic missions on the lunar surface, as well as a Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway for astronauts in space beyond the Moon. Right now, NASA is preparing to purchase new small lunar payload delivery services, develop lunar landers, and conduct more research on the Moon’s surface ahead of a human return. And that long-term exploration and development of the Moon will give us the experience for the next giant leap – human missions to Mars and destinations beyond. [...]NASA has identified a variety of exploration, science, and technology objectives that could be addressed by regularly sending instruments, experiments and other small payloads to the Moon. Some of those payloads will be developed from the agency’s Resource Prospector mission concept. This project was intended as a one-time effort to explore a specific location on the Moon, and as designed, now is too limited in scope for the agency’s expanded lunar exploration focus. NASA’s return to the Moon will include many missions to locate, extract and process elements across bigger areas of the lunar surface. The agency is evolving Resource Prospector to fit into its broader exploration strategy, and selected robotic instruments will be among the early deliveries to the Moon on CLPS missions.
There was also a NASA report some 6 months after RP was cancelled that over 90% of the staff that had worked on RP was still working at NASA and the rest had mostly retired
"There’s also another reason to do lunar surface exploration --- the distinct possibility of looking for and finding alien artifacts, left there by some visiting extraterrestrial civilization. Arizona State University astrophysicist Paul Davies, a longtime proponent of such an initiative, told me that rovers in conjunction with high resolution lunar satellites are the best option for such an effort."https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucedorminey/2019/02/17/nasa-lunar-rover-missions-are-woefully-overdue/?fbclid=IwAR0iokZcL4p-VAOnWZ94xT3VY9c0nROfUiKdLc4JsprAShl8dcasp7j4JL8#609a358a268e
Alien artifacts? That's not at all woo woo... LOLIs it better to get public support via woo woo stuff like this or not? I'm thinking not but I could be wrong
I looks like the Resource Prospector project has evolved into VIPER rover:https://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-viper-lunar-rover-to-map-water-ice-on-the-moonPrecisely the same people who worked on RP now work on VIPER.Very interesting that it will be battery powered and last 100 days. Though, I am not sure if its chances are any better than RP. It is supposed to be 2022, but we will see.
VIPER will take advantage of locations near the south pole that are in sunlight for most of a lunar day to enable that extended mission.