Sep 15 2009
From The Space Library
NASA announced that it had concluded two weeks of technology-development tests on two prototype lunar rovers in the Arizona desert at Black Point Lava Point, as part of the decade-old program Desert RATS (Research and Technology Studies). The annual Desert RATS excursions allowed NASA to analyze and to refine technologies and procedures in extreme environments on Earth. For the lunar-rover test, two crew members—an astronaut and a geologist—had simulated a 14-day mission, living for more than 300 hours inside NASA’s prototype Lunar Electric Rover and scouting the area for features of geological interest. They had worn spacesuits to conduct simulated moonwalks in which they collected samples; docked to a simulated habitat; driven the rover across difficult terrain; performed a rescue mission; and made a four-day trip across lava. Before the test, NASA’s K10 scout robot had identified areas of interest for the crew to explore. NASA’s All-Terrain Hex-Legged Extra-Terrestrial Explorer (Tri-ATHLETE), a heavy-lift rover, had carried the simulated habitat to which the rover had docked.
NASA, “NASA Concludes Robotics Tests for the Moon in Arizona,” news release 09-214, 15 September 2009, http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/sep/HQ_09-214_Desert_RATS_concludes.html (accessed 15 September 2011).
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