Jbrackettssa - John Brackett, NASA / JPL Solar System Ambassador

Loved this movie and the book. The best ensemble cast ever, in my opinion.

Jupiter and Saturn from my driveway earlier this evening. #solarsystemambassador https://www.instagram.com/p/CUWWZIDsNzg/?utm_medium=tumblr

We Found the Perfect Spot to Land our Moon Rover

After an extensive selection process, we chose the mountainous area west of Nobile Crater at the Moon’s South Pole as the landing site for our first-ever robotic Moon rover. The Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, will explore the Moon’s surface and subsurface in search of water and other resources beginning in late 2023. Thanks to past missions, such as satellites orbiting the Moon or impacting its surface, we know there is ice at the Moon’s poles. But how much? And where did it come from? VIPER aims to answer these questions and more by venturing into shadowed craters and visiting other areas of scientific interest over its 100-day mission. The findings will inform future landing sites under the Artemis program and help pave the way toward establishing a long-term human presence on the Moon. Here are five things to know:

The landing site is located just outside the western rim of Nobile Crater at the Moon’s South Pole.

The region has suitable lighting and terrain for our solar-powered rover to navigate.

VIPER will travel up to 15 miles in search of water and other resources.

Its traverse will change depending on what it finds, but it could look like this.

Drivers on Earth will tell the rover where to explore during its 100-day mission.

The VIPER mission is managed by our Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley. The approximately 1,000-pound rover will be delivered to the Moon by a commercial vendor as part of our Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, delivering science and technology payloads to and near the Moon.

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Just a quick shot through the eyepiece. Not much, other than the black dot being a planet that is 3,000 miles across and is 57 million miles away. Plus, the big orange thing is another 36 million miles behind that. #space #astronomy #mercurytransit #mercurytransit2019 https://www.instagram.com/p/B4xGXVhH9YB/?igshid=977uiy82c22m

It’s gonna be a long night! I’m super excited to be at @kennedyspacecenter for the Artemis 1 Launch! The launch is scheduled for 8:33am local. There will be a two hour window. If it doesn’t launch tomorrow, the next window is September 2, 2022. . . . . . #explorepage #artemis #artemisgeneration #stem #nasasls #SLS #orion #wearegoing #nasaexploration #solarsystemambassadors (at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch09ZFquI_l/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Had a fun time at Fernbank Science Center’s Space Day! #apollo6 #nasa #stemeducation #georgia #spaceflight (at Fernbank Science Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfPoHLaO6tG/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

A re-edit of one of my favorite images from a previous visit to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. #spaceshuttle @rocketcenterusa @nasa #nasa #usspaceandrocketcenter #space #marshallspaceflightcenter #huntsvilleal (at U.S. Space & Rocket Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_9DbjPHTj4/?igshid=ihu7m7gkszlw

Lucy has just started her 12 year mission to visit 7 asteroids! Lucy Mission NASA Solar System Exploration #STEM #NASA #NASASocial @jbrackettssa @lucy_mission https://www.instagram.com/p/CVFeLFhLWwy/?utm_medium=tumblr

Ascent Abort-2 crew module arrives in Houston in Orion’s March newsletter: http://bit.ly/OrionMar18