NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, is a mobile robot that will roam around the Moon’s south pole looking for water ice. The VIPER mission will give us surface-level detail of where the water is and how much is available for us to use. Pictured here is the VIPER mobility testbed, an engineering model created to evaluate the rover’s mobility system. The testbed includes mobility units, computing and motor controllers. Testing involves evaluating performance of the rover as it drives over various slopes, textures and soils that simulate the lunar environment.⁣ ⁣ VIPER will bring us a significant step closer towards NASA’s ultimate goal of a sustainable, long-term presence on the Moon – making it possible to eventually explore Mars and beyond.⁣ ⁣ Credits: NASA/Johnson Space Center⁣ ⁣ #nasa #artemis #VIPER #space #science #robotics #moontomars