Wouldn’t that be exciting to know how to land on the Moon too without a Human Pilot? Let’s find out how! Stay tuned:
Yes, you heard it right. NASA has discovered and developed a brand new system, which has made it possible to land in a much less risky way. And the other surprising fact is that it is already planning to test it out on an upcoming mission. Isn’t it amazing!
SPLICE stands for Safe and Precise Landing Integrated Capabilities Evolution that is wholly devoted to improving landing safety. To carry out the work of safe landing, it uses quite a few things. And these things include a combination of a suite and lessor sensors, a high-speed computer, a camera, and some sophisticated algorithms. All of this equipment is believing to be the need for a human pilot.
The Project Manager of NASA Ron Sostaric, who manages this whole mission, clearly stated a statement. He aired his opinion regarding the mission and added that the building is a complete descent and landing system. This system will work for future Artemis missions to the Moon and can be adapting for mars. He further added that their job is bringing up the components together and ensuring that everything works as a single unit. And, as a functioning system.
The following system that they are working on shall allow the lander to touch down sites that can be much wider. And it shall also include a variety of areas which shall consist of near boulders and craters as well. Another interesting fact is it would also be able to catch on the safe targets that could be only half the size of a football market, and it’s great.
If we consider all the landing that has taken place in a small piece of land, then the area for landing for Apollo 11 in 1968 was about 11 by three miles. If this would be able to surpass this mark, then this would be great.
Working of SPLICE
We all must know how SPLICE works out. To begin with, it first does the comparison scans of the surface. To be specific, only of those surfaces below and have a database of known landmarks to determine where it is. If the body is three or four miles above, it uses a three beamed laser to explore and dig out the safest landing site.
As per the Artemis program of NASA, it hopes that it shall successfully enable the first woman to land on the Moon by early 2024. It will be magnificently memorable if they can do so. For this dream to work out successfully, they will first test the system out on a rocket. The rocket shall be the Blue Origin, and it shall be a part of the upcoming mission. It is also saying that it shall only be part of the task if it is unclear.
What SPLICE has thought is quite different in comparison to other times. This time it will not look for a safe place to land on the Moon, but it shall look for a suitable terrain where they could land the new Shepard rocket. Still, NASA has a long way to go in this mission, and they have to work out on a plethora of things.
In a recent statement given by NASA’s technical manager for this particular mission was of diverse opinion. He aired that to land safely and precisely on some other foreign planet is a cumbersome task. And it includes a lot of challenges.
Overall, no commercial technology has set out for us that you can go and buy. Every mission shall require a safe surface mission, and NASA could probably use it, and that is why it needs it—and thinking of using it in the mission.
Final Words
Well, to execute this plan, NASA has a long way to go. It is a very farsighted mission, and we do have plenty of time in our hands. And therefore, we can hope for its successful delivery. But for the same to be done efficiently, we would need equal support from all the organizations that shall be an active participant in this program.
For the same mission to carry out successfully, NASA shall also have to conduct several tests to ensure the mission’s stability. Only time shall be able to tell whether it shall be helpful or not. We can only predict and hope for the best, and NASA can carry out all the possible activities that it would need for the successful execution of the mission.
