Robot With Large Drill Headed for Surface of Moon

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched a lunar lander from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, kicking off the latest attempt to touch down on the Moon's surface. Houston-based startup Intuitive Machines' lander, dubbed Athena, is equipped with various scientific instruments, including a tiny "hopper" robot, three separate rovers — and a drill. The drill was designed to burrow roughly three feet below the Moon's surface and drop the retrieved soil into a pile nearby. A mass spectrometer will then analyze the excavated samples for signs of frozen water, among other chemical compounds. The drill is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, which is dedicated to helping the agency "explore the Moon as it prepares for human missions." As such, if Athena's drill were to detect significant amounts of water ice near the Moon's tallest mountain, Mons Mouton, which is only roughly 37 miles from the south pole, it could have considerable implications for NASA's upcoming crew ... Read full article.