ALBAWABA - The desire for exploration lies at the heart of human nature, and there is no place where it manifests more than in our quest to travel beyond Earth.
This week, the "AX-2" mission transported four travelers to the International Space Station, including former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and stem cell researcher Ryanah Barnawi, the first Saudi woman to travel to space.
Additionally, Virgin Galactic sent its supersonic plane to space for the first time since 2021, with two pilots and a four-member crew onboard the experimental flight. Now, NASA is preparing to return to the surface of the Moon in 2025, but they will receive some assistance from robotic explorers. Engineers are currently busy building a lunar lander about the size of a golf cart, which is set to land on the Moon's South Pole in 2024. An update on the Lunar vehicle.
The updated version of the Lunar vehicle, called "Viper," aims to search for ice on the lunar surface, collect and analyze samples, and map the expected water reserves on the Moon.
Engineers are currently testing an early version of the "Viper" vehicle at NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. Thanks to its robust and intelligent design, the robotic explorer will be able to withstand the harsh conditions of a place yet unexplored by humans.
The findings of the rover can help sustain human presence on the Moon by allowing astronauts to gather and test the drinkability of water and detect other resources available on the lunar surface. Meanwhile, a NASA orbital spacecraft captured images of what appears to be the impact site of the "Hakuto-R" vehicle, which was launched as part of a mission by the "iSpace" company in April. Unfortunately, it failed to land on the lunar surface.
