A glimpse at our future 🌕⁣ ⁣ As we prepare for the launch of Artemis I, teams also look to the future of the Artemis program. Earlier this summer, the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) underwent its latest test, faced quicksand-like soil, climbed steep terrain, and navigated craters and boulders; many obstacles VIPER will face during its mission to the Moon's South Pole.⁣ ⁣ Engineers at @NASAGlenn tested VIPER's Moon Gravitation Representative Unit 3 (MGRU3), the rover's mobility engineering unit, a piece of hardware that controls the motors of the VIPER's four wheels.⁣ ⁣ During the tests, teams examined the rover's ability to get out of tricky soil conditions by moving its wheels in a coordinated way called "inch-worm." Engineers also checked if the rover will autonomously stop moving if it encounters terrain too steep or if Earth-bound teams lose track of its location.⁣ ⁣ Credit: @NASA⁣ ⁣ Image description: In the first image, three members of the VIPER engineering team, wearing white and black protective helmets, white pants, shoe coverings, and grey gloves, work to create obstacles to mimic the surface of the Moon's South Pole realistically. The engineer closest to the camera is wearing a beige tank top and pushing a piece of plywood into the faux lunar soil. Above her, to the right, is an engineer with a black t-shirt who uses a shovel to form a simulated crater. The engineer in the back is wearing a blue shirt and using a rake to make grooves in the simulated lunar surface.⁣ ⁣ The second photo shows the VIPER prototype on a high sinkage simulant, with black and gold wheels, a yellow and white body, and red camera brackets and cables: a grey, black, and copper mechanical mast with a camera and antenna gimbal. Three engineers are in the background, wearing white and black protective helmets, white pants, shoe covers, and grey gloves; each has a blue t-shirt, and the closest engineer is holding power and data tethers.