Space & Astronomy

New mission aims to revisit Apollo 17 site

By T.K. Randall
November 30, 2016

Image: Eugene Cernan on the Moon During the Apollo 17 Mission
Credit: Harrison Schmitt (1972) / (PD) NASA The mission, which is being worked on by a group of Berlin-based engineers and scientists, will land two small rovers on the lunar surface near to where the astronauts last set foot.

One of 16 teams competing as part of the $30 million Google Lunar XPRIZE, the PTScientists ( or 'Part Time Scientists' ) have been developing their robotic rovers and lunar lander since 2008.

Now in a bid to finally get to the Moon, the team has secured a ride with Spaceflight Inc. in the hope of delivering the rovers to the Taurus-Littrow valley where Apollo 17 touched down in 1972.

"It's the last piece of the puzzle," said PTScientists CEO Robert Bohme."We have been busy designing and testing our rovers, developing our transport and landing spacecraft, and now we have secured our ride to space."

One of the goals of the mission will be to determine the state of the lunar rover - the vehicle that the Apollo 17 astronauts rode around in during their final visit to the Moon.

It will be necessary however to land a good distance away to avoid disturbing the site.

"If we succeed, we'll have done something that previously only governments have been able to do," said Bohme. "We want our mission to inspire others."

Source: Space.com

Tags: Moon, Apollo 17