Conditions on the moon will be harsher, but prototype NASA robotic vehicles and their developers braved sand storms and unprecedented temperature swings on sweeping dunes near Moses Lake, Wash., this month to prepare for the future.
Teams from seven NASA centers and one university coordinated their activities on the Moses Lake Sand Dunes from June 2-13 to gain hands-on experience with specific technical challenges anticipated when humans return to the moon by 2020 and begin to explore the lunar surface and set up initial outposts.
* X-clusive : Thanks to one D-RATS guy who answered me on Twitter, here is the photo album from the 2008 June Field test!
NASA's
Desert Research and Technology Studies (D-RATS) Team :
Every September, after the summer rain backs off but before the mornings get too cold, a pack of RATS descends on the desert near Flagstaff, Ariz., to spend two weeks testing technologies that will play a vital role in the future of space exploration.
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Roughly 150 engineers and scientists participate in the NASA program, known as Desert Research and Technology Studies, or "Desert RATS." The 10-year-old program is part of the agency's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate and involves groups from several NASA centers and universities. During the annual trip out west, they take advantage of the variety of desert terrains to test new or improved equipment that astronauts may use during excursions on the surface of the moon. Projects in testing range from computer hardware and software to spacesuits, rovers and astronaut habitats.
The interactivity, cooperation and rehearsals between the Desert RATS teams at various NASA centers and universities continue throughout every year, culminating in the annual desert test. This ongoing process means problems are rooted out long before new flight hardware is made, helping to ensure these new technologies will be ready for the next giant leap in human space exploration.
"It's surreal to see the crew members walking around like they will on the moon again and someday on Mars, taking rock samples, reporting on what they're doing, etc." a space engineer said. "It just feels like you're there."
KSC's News : Desert RATS 2008
NASA's : Desert RATS 2007
NASA EDGE's Blog
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