What instruments will be used on NASA’s Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) for the Artemis program? This is what a recent announcement hopes to address as renowned space agency selected three lunar instruments that will be used to help explore and study our nearest celestial neighbor, with one instrument on a future lunar orbiter, and two of the instruments being used on the LTV, both of which are currently in development. This development demonstrates NASA’s commitment to the Artemis program and the advancement of the commercial space industry.
The two LTV instruments are the Artemis Infrared Reflectance and Emission Spectrometer (AIRES) and the Lunar Microwave Active-Passive Spectrometer (L-MAPS), which are designed to search for lunar volatiles and study the lunar subsurface, respectively. Lunar volatiles include water ice, which future astronauts could use for drinking, bathing, fuel, and creating oxygen through electrolysis. The ability to use available resources without the need for resources from Earth is known as in situ resource utilization (ISRU) and could significantly reduce the cost of shipping water and other key resources to the lunar surface.
“The Artemis Lunar Terrain Vehicle will transport humanity farther than ever before across the lunar frontier on an epic journey of scientific exploration and discovery,” said Dr. Nicky Fox, who is the associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. “By combining the best of human and robotic exploration, the science instruments selected for the LTV will make discoveries that inform us about Earth’s nearest neighbor as well as benefit the health and safety of our astronauts and spacecraft on the Moon.”
The LTV builds on the legacy of the Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), which was used on Apollo 15, 16, and 17 and drove distances of 17.25 miles, 16.50 miles, and 22.30 miles, respectively. While the LTV is slated to be far more advanced, including the aforementioned instruments, it will nonetheless serve a valuable purpose in enabling astronauts to explore the lunar surface far better than on foot.
How will NASA’s LTV help astronauts explore the lunar surface in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!
As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!
Featured Image Credit: NASA