The Volatiles Investigation Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission is a lunar polar volatiles prospecting mission developed through NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Planetary Science Division.  The mission includes a rover-borne payload that (1) can locate surface and near-subsurface volatiles, (2) excavate and analyze samples of the volatile-bearing regolith, and (3) demonstrate the form, extractability and usefulness of the materials.  VIPER’s primary mission goal is to characterize the distribution of water and volatiles across a range of thermal environments. This presentation will provide an overview of lunar volatiles, the VIPER mission and its current status.

Dr. Colaprete’s areas of expertise include planetary atmospheres, volatiles, surface-atmosphere interactions, radiative transfer, remote sensing, and spectroscopy. Having participated in 12 space flight projects, from formulation through flight and data archiving, in science, engineering and leadership positions, Dr. Colaprete has built a deep understanding of all aspects of instrument and mission development. Working as both a lead scientist and a project manager, Dr. Colaprete has a sense of practicality regarding what can be reasonably achieved for a schedule and budget, and how to work across large teams and multiple institutions to achieve success. Using this experience Dr. Colaprete founded the NASA Ames Flight Instrument Group (FIG), a team of engineers, scientists and project managers that develop a range of instruments for space flight. Dr. Colaprete is currently the acting Director of Science at NASA Ames Research Center.