Post by Sandia National Laboratories

Testing NASA’s new moon rover 🧑‍🚀 NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s VIPER rover is designed to map water ice on the moon, and Sandia’s Large Centrifuge helped it reach a milestone. The 29-foot underground centrifuge can subject test items to 300 Gs of inertial force — 300 times the force of Earth’s gravity — and mimic flight conditions from space launch through reentry. The VIPER team spent three weeks testing the rover as NASA prepares for its launch to the moon’s south pole, expected to take place in late 2027. “We’ve built a rover that is designed to go and prospect for water on the moon, but the vehicle must be certified for mission,” said Dave Petri, NASA’s VIPER system integration and test lead. “We need to be sure its structure is properly designed and built to survive the mission, including the launch environment.” #NationalSpaceDay Read more about VIPER: https://bit.ly/4uk06UE