Chuck Darwin<p>Scientists slam ‘indefensible’ axing of agency's $450m Viper moon rover </p><p>Thousands of scientists have protested to the US Congress <br>over the “unprecedented and indefensible” decision by Nasa to <br>cancel its <a href="https://c.im/tags/Viper" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Viper</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/lunar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>lunar</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/rover" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>rover</span></a> mission.</p><p>In an open letter to Capitol Hill, they have denounced the move, <br>which was revealed last month, <br>and heavily criticised the space agency over a decision that has shocked astronomers and astrophysicists across the globe.</p><p>The car-sized rover 🔸has already been constructed at a cost of $450m 🔸<br>and was scheduled to be sent to the moon next year, <br>when it would have used a one-metre drill to prospect for <br>🔸<a href="https://c.im/tags/ice" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ice</span></a> below the lunar surface 🔸<br>in soil at the moon’s <a href="https://c.im/tags/south" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>south</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/pole" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>pole</span></a>.</p><p>Ice is considered to be vital to plans to build a <a href="https://c.im/tags/lunar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>lunar</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/colony" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>colony</span></a>, <br>not just to supply astronauts with <a href="https://c.im/tags/water" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>water</span></a><br> but also to provide them with <a href="https://c.im/tags/hydrogen" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>hydrogen</span></a> and <a href="https://c.im/tags/oxygen" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>oxygen</span></a> that could be used as fuels. </p><p>As a result, prospecting for sources was rated a priority for lunar exploration, <br>which is scheduled to be ramped up in the next few years with the aim of establishing a <a href="https://c.im/tags/permanent" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>permanent</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/human" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>human</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/presence" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>presence</span></a> on the moon.</p><p>Construction of Viper <br>– volatiles investigating polar exploration rover <br>– began several years ago, <br>and the highly complex robot vehicle was virtually complete <br>when Nasa announced on 17 July that it had decided to kill it off. </p><p>The agency said the move was needed because of past cost increases, delays to launch dates <br>and the risks of future cost growth.</p><p>However, the claim has been dismissed by astonished and infuriated scientists <br>who say the rover would have played a vital role in opening up the moon to human <a href="https://c.im/tags/colonisation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>colonisation</span></a>.</p><p>“Quite frankly, the agency’s decision beggars belief,” said Prof Clive Neal, a lunar scientist at the University of Notre Dame, in Indiana.</p><p>“Viper is a fundamental mission on so many fronts and 🔸its cancellation basically undermines Nasa’s entire lunar exploration programme for the next decade. 🔸</p><p>It is as straightforward as that. <br>Cancelling Viper makes no sense whatsoever.”</p><p>This view was backed by Ben Fernando of Johns Hopkins University, who was one of the organisers of the open letter to Congress. </p><p>“A team of 500 people dedicated years of their careers to construct Viper and now it has been cancelled for no good reason whatsoever,” he told the Observer last week.</p><p>“Fortunately I think <a href="https://c.im/tags/Congress" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Congress</span></a> is taking this issue very seriously and they have the power to tell Nasa that it has to go ahead with the project. Hopefully they will intervene.”</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/aug/10/scientists-slam-indefensible-axing-of-nasas-450m-viper-moon-rover?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">theguardian.com/science/articl</span><span class="invisible">e/2024/aug/10/scientists-slam-indefensible-axing-of-nasas-450m-viper-moon-rover?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other</span></a></p>