When You’re The Daughter Of A NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, You Get To See And Read About Cool

Finalized Lunar images from last night. #celestron127slt #celestrontelescope #backyardastronomy #moon #solarsystemambassador https://www.instagram.com/p/CZxsfAEs74A/?utm_medium=tumblr

Caught the ISS passing near Ursa Major this evening. https://www.instagram.com/p/CCm6ufWnIz3/?igshid=1a6ftf1h88yta

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

Had fun marking every single crater, boulder, and rock in images taken as part of the OSIRIS-REx Mission. Can’t wait for a sample of Bennu to be headed to Earth soon. #bennu #osirisrex #space #asteroid #nasa https://www.instagram.com/p/B4L43ncHzWk/?igshid=1y15577s74bmf

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxYDkafxqs9/?igshid=NzZhOTFlYzFmZQ==

Saturn V replica at U.S. Space and Rocket Center #apollo #apollo50thanniversary #nasa #usspaceandrocketcenter #huntsvillealabama (at U.S. Space & Rocket Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwyL38rHYuK/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1n2w1tt0wuue4

I had a wonderful time talking to a group of kids and parents the other night. We talked about NASA, Space Science, and Women In STEM. #nasa #daisyscouts #girlscouts #solarsystemambassador https://www.instagram.com/p/CbS0W5SuIxG/?utm_medium=tumblr

What a day! I’m still trying to take it all in. I’ve been with this mission for some time in various capacities. I took classes on Percy’s numerous systems, so I could TEACH about Percy’s numerous systems. I read hundreds of students’ essays to narrow down a winning name, Perseverance. My name has hitched a ride on Percy from Earth to the surface of Mars. Percy’s real mission begins NOW, as does mine. I look forward to sharing the data Percy collects with wide eyed kids. Today was awesome. #SolarSystemAmbassadors #CountdownToMars #NASA @nasasolarsystem @nasajpl https://www.instagram.com/p/CLdV52qjQhx/?igshid=1s8us4m4boe1j

My published Mission Juno image…