NASA is sending a new moon rover to sample water ice on the lunar south pole

NASA Ames/Daniel Rutter

• NASA is sending a new rover to the moon's south pole. If successful, the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) would be first spacecraft to ever land there without crashing.
• The rover will map the moon's water ice, which is crucial for extended visits if NASA wants to set up lunar base and springboard to Mars. Astronauts traveling to Mars would need to make their jet fuel on the moon.
• Following two spacecraft crashes in the past, landing on the moon has proven to be difficult due to issues in communications during the final stages of descent, a phase known as "15 minutes of terror."
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NASA is sending a new rover to the moon's mysterious south pole.

If successful, the machine will be the first to ever land on the moon's south pole without crashing. It will map the area's water ice for the first time — information that will be crucial to future astronauts making extended visits to the moon. It will also use a 1-meter (3-foot) drill to collect data on different kinds of lunar soil.

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SEE ALSO: India's and Israel's moon-landing attempts both failed during descent — here's why the '15 minutes of terror' are so difficult

DON'T MISS: NASA's future missions will explore an icy moon of Jupiter, collect samples on Mars, and more. Here's what's coming in the next 10 years.

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