Traction testing of NASA's VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) lunar robot. VIPER is planned to reach the Moon's south pole in late 2023. Once there it will sample the lunar soil and map the distribution of water ice and other resources that could be of use to a manned moonbase. The researchers are wearing respirators to protect against airborne silica present during the test. Photographed in the Simulated Lunar Operations Laboratory at NASA?檚 Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.