{"id":13071,"date":"2025-02-12T18:14:39","date_gmt":"2025-02-12T22:14:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zobi.alcowep.com\/bourtagshdrevxnls658739\/nasas-polar-ice-experiment-paves-way-for-future-moon-missions\/"},"modified":"2025-02-12T18:14:39","modified_gmt":"2025-02-12T22:14:39","slug":"nasas-polar-ice-experiment-paves-way-for-future-moon-missions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zobi.alcowep.com\/bourtagshdrevxnls658739\/nasas-polar-ice-experiment-paves-way-for-future-moon-missions\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s Polar Ice Experiment Paves Way for Future Moon Missions\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

NASA\u2019s Polar Ice Experiment Paves Way for Future Moon Missions\u00a0<\/h2>\n

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Artistic rendering of Intuitive Machines\u2019 Nova-C lander on the surface of the Moon.<\/div>\n
Credit: Intuitive Machines<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

NASA\u2019s Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1<\/a>) is preparing to explore the Moon\u2019s subsurface and analyze where lunar resources may reside. The experiment\u2019s two key instruments will demonstrate our ability to extract and analyze lunar soil to better understand the lunar environment and subsurface resources, paving the way for sustainable human exploration under the agency\u2019s Artemis<\/a> campaign for the benefit of all.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Its two instruments will work in tandem: The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrains (TRIDENT) will drill into the Moon\u2019s surface to collect samples, while the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSOLO) will analyze these samples to determine the gas composition released across the sampling depth. The PRIME-1 technology will provide valuable data to help us better understand the Moon\u2019s surface and how to work with and on it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ability to drill and analyze samples at the same time allows us to gather insights that will shape the future of lunar resource utilization,\u201d said Jackie Quinn, PRIME-1 project manager at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. \u201cHuman exploration of the Moon and deep space will depend on making good use of local resources to produce life-sustaining supplies necessary to live and work on another planetary body.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The PRIME-1 experiment is one of the NASA payloads aboard the next lunar delivery through NASA\u2019s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services<\/a>) initiative, set to launch from the agency\u2019s Kennedy Space Center no earlier than Wednesday, Feb. 26, on Intuitive Machines\u2019 Athena lunar lander and explore the lunar soil in Mons Mouton, a lunar plateau near the Moon\u2019s South Pole.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Developed by Honeybee Robotics, a Blue Origin Company, TRIDENT is a rotary percussive drill designed to excavate lunar regolith and subsurface material up to 3.3 feet (1 meter) deep. The drill will extract samples, each about 4 inches (10 cm) in length, allowing scientists to analyze how trapped and frozen gases are distributed at different depths below the surface.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The TRIDENT drill is equipped with carbide cutting teeth to penetrate even the toughest lunar materials. Unlike previous lunar drills used by astronauts during the Apollo missions, TRIDENT will be controlled from Earth. The drill may provide key information about subsurface soil temperatures as well as gain key insight into the mechanical properties of the lunar South Pole soil. Learning more about regolith temperatures and properties will greatly improve our understanding of the environments where lunar resources may be stable, revealing what resources may be available for future Moon missions. \u00a0<\/p>\n

A commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer, MSOLO, developed by INFICON and made suitable for spaceflight at Kennedy, will analyze any gas released from the TRIDENT drilled samples, looking for the potential presence of water ice and other gases trapped beneath the surface. These measurements will help scientists understand the Moon\u2019s potential for resource utilization.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Under the CLPS model, NASA is investing in commercial delivery services to the Moon to enable industry growth and support long-term lunar exploration. As a primary customer for CLPS deliveries, NASA is one of many customers on future flights. PRIME-1 was funded by NASA\u2019s Space Technology Mission Directorate Game Changing Development program.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Learn more about CLPS and Artemis at:\u00a0<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/clps<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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\nStephanie Plucinsky <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NASA\u2019s Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1) is preparing to explore the Moon\u2019s subsurface and analyze where lunar resources may reside. The experiment\u2019s two key instruments will demonstrate our ability to extract and analyze lunar soil to better understand the lunar environment and subsurface resources, paving the way for sustainable human exploration under the agency\u2019s [\u2026] Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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