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The CLPS IM-3 launch that this will ride on will also have the three CADRE rovers. Hopefully Intuitive Machines sticks this landing!
Don't we have enough regolith here? Why do we need to send a robot up to study soil that we couldn't do with the samples we've already got?
The surface area of the moon is about the same as the continent of Africa. Think about all the different kinds of dirt you might encounter on Africa. If you were building a house in Morocco, would you want to rely on soil samples from South Africa?
Regolith properties vary based on location even with the samples we’ve got. It’s reasonably important to understand the local soil conditions before we start trying to land 10-story buildings on the surface. No other option but to send something up to learn that info. Cheaper to use a robot than a human.
That makes sense. I wasn't expecting such diversity in a geologically stable, sterile, rock in a vacuum. Now I'm curious as to what mechanisms the different types.