(Image: Shutterstock) March 9, 2021 SHARE Power and in-situ resources are two things humans will need as they explore deep space. How future astronauts use these commodities depends on the technology at hand. That’s why NASA is looking to U.S. universities — including Washington University in St. Louis — for lunar-focused research to bring about advancements in in-situ resource utilization and sustainable power solutions. NASA announced March 8 that it has selected scientists at Washington University to build a rover-mounted drill sensor to quantify the 3D distribution of water at the moon’s south pole. A laser probe located at the bottom of the drill, capable of analyzing regolith, would quantify the amount of water and other chemicals present beneath the surface.