Tag: Desert Rats

One of the stops on NASA’s way to the moon is the Arizona desert. The 2009 Desert RATS – or Research
and Technology Studies – field test simulated a 14-day lunar mission. Two crew members – an astronaut
and a geologist – lived for 14 days inside NASA’s prototype Lunar Electric Rover, scouting the area for
features of geological interest and conducting moonwalks as necessary to collect samples. Other
prototype vehicles tested include Ames’s K-10 robotic scout and JPL’s Tri-Athlete cargo handling and
manipulation system. For more information www.nasa.gov