{"id":18308,"date":"2018-10-18T18:44:22","date_gmt":"2018-10-18T10:44:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/nasa-puts-out-the-call-for-science-and-technology-payloads-made-for-the-moon\/"},"modified":"2018-10-18T18:44:22","modified_gmt":"2018-10-18T10:44:22","slug":"nasa-puts-out-the-call-for-science-and-technology-payloads-made-for-the-moon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/nasa-puts-out-the-call-for-science-and-technology-payloads-made-for-the-moon\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA puts out the call for science and technology payloads made for the moon"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"ispace
An artist\u2019s conception shows ispace\u2019s lander descending to the lunar surface. (ispace Illustration)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

NASA is following up on its plan to purchase rides on commercial lunar landers by soliciting ideas for the scientific and technological payloads to put on them.<\/p>\n

Those payloads could be flying to the moon as early as next year, NASA said today in its announcement of a program known as Lunar Surface Instrument and Technology Payloads. Somewhere between $24 million and $36 million would be available for the first round of payloads, with eight to 12 payloads expected to be selected.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are looking for ways to not only conduct lunar science but to also use the moon as a science platform to look back at the Earth, observe the sun, or view the vast universe,\u201d said Steve Clarke, deputy associate administrator for exploration in NASA\u2019s Science Mission Directorate.<\/p>\n

Early science objectives could include monitoring heat flow within the moon\u2019s interior, characterizing the solar wind and the vanishingly thin lunar atmosphere, and detecting and analyzing dust.<\/p>\n

Technological payloads would take the form of instruments or systems that would facilitate future crewed and robotic missions to explore the moon and Mars, Clarke said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe strategy is that these early missions will help us prepare for more complex future missions such as searching for usable resources, building up a seismic network to understand the moon\u2019s internal structure, and studying the lunar mineralogy and chemistry to understand the moon\u2019s origins,\u201d Clarke said. \u201cNASA is also looking forward to supporting U.S. industry efforts to provide more commercial exploration services for multiple customers, including NASA.\u201d<\/p>\n