A New Mission From NASA To Examine The Moon's Mysterious Volcanoes Will Cost $35 Million
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NASA has given the go-ahead for a mission to investigate a previously unexplored area of the Moon in an effort to solve a geological puzzle and aid future lunar settlers. The Gruithuisen Domes are two mysterious volcanic features that resemble Mount St.
Helens in Washington State in that they appear to be made of rock that has been hardened from cooled magma. The $35 million Lunar-VISE (Lunar Vulkan Imaging and Spectroscopy Explorer) robotic rover mission will study the chemical composition of the Gruithuisen Domes.
But the Moon lacks both seas and plate tectonics, which are necessary for Earth structures like the Gruithuisen Domes. Five scientific tools, including two on a stationary platform, will be on Lunar-VISE, three on a moving rover and a lander.
It will spend ten days exploring one of the domes' summits, examining the lunar regolith and examining how dust affects the spacecraft and rover.
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