Desert Research and Technology Studies

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Test subject Dean Eppler, working at the rear of a science trailer during Desert RATS 2004
Test subject Dean Eppler, working at the rear of a science trailer during Desert RATS 2004

NASA's Desert Research and Technology Studies (Desert RATS or D-RATS) is a group of teams which perform an annual series of field trials seeking to demonstrate and test candidate technologies and systems for manned exploration of the surface of the Moon, Mars, or other rocky bodies.

Desert RATS began in 1998, reviving Apollo-style lunar exploration training from decades earlier.[1] The field event takes place for around ten days each year, usually in September, in planned locations surrounding Flagstaff, Arizona. In recent years tests have been conducted near Meteor Crater.[2] The rugged terrain, temperature swings, and dirt and dust provide a reasonable simulation of conditions on Mars. The trials at D-RATS may help to fulfil the goals of Project Constellation and the Vision for Space Exploration.

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[edit] Participants

A portion of the 2006 Desert RATS field team
A portion of the 2006 Desert RATS field team

The participants in Desert RATS vary from year to year. Past participants have included researchers from various NASA centers, including Johnson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, Ames Research Center, Glenn Research Center, Langley Research Center, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Marshall Space Flight Center, as well as contractors Hamilton Sundstrand and ILC Dover, and researchers from numerous universities and institutes, including the Carnegie Institute, the Universities Space Research Association, and Virginia Commonwealth University.[2] An incomplete list of the 2006 team members can be found here.

Around 100 scientists and engineers participate each year. Mission support is provided by the Mission Operations Exploration Planning and Operations Center (ExPOC) in Houston. Through live videoconferencing with NASA Explorer Schools and simultaneous webcasts, students around the world are able to watch Desert RATS activities live.[3][4]

[edit] Technologies tested

During the trials, researchers study the effectiveness of new designs for space suits, robots, rovers, surface networking and communications, exploration information systems and computing, habitats, and other equipment, and gain experience in the use of new technologies designed to make planetary exploration safer, easier, and more efficient. Recent tests have involved the use of an interplanetary delay emulator developed at NASA.[5] They stage mock explorations of the desert, and try out various procedures and techniques for accomplishing the mission. Suited crew members work side by side with robots, and are connected to one another and to the robots by a wireless network. The rugged terrain provides challenges for robotic navigation.

In 2005, the Science Crew Operations and Utility Testbed (SCOUT) rover was tested, working alongside two suited crew members.[4]. SCOUT could also be manually driven by the crew members. Other robots participating in D-RATS have included a six-legged all terrain vehicle known as Athlete, the centaur-like Robonaut, and Matilda, an autonomous support vehicle capable of collecting geologic samples and aiding with path planning.[6]

Space suits tested during Desert RATS include ILC Dover's Mark III and I-Suit. Using speech recognition built into their suits, mock astronauts can command robots, adjust suit parameters for comfort, and inquire into the mission status, or the status or location of any crew member or robot. A head-up display inside the suit can show this information as well. In 2005, participants tested a new system for refilling crew members' liquid-air tanks while in use, thus extending in-suit time.[7]

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ USGS Astrogeology: Astronaut Training
  2. ^ a b NASA's Desert RATS. Technology News Daily (September 16, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-04-08.
  3. ^ NASA - Digital Learning Network: Catalog Event Details
  4. ^ a b Nevills, Amiko (September 6, 2005). Scenes From the Desert, or Maybe Mars: NASA's "RATS" Tests Technologies for Tomorrow's Treks. NASA. Retrieved on 2007-04-08.
  5. ^ Interplanetary delay emulator
  6. ^ NASA (September 13, 2004). "NASA's Desert "Rats" Test New Gear". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-04-08.
  7. ^ Johnson Space Center (September 1, 2005). "NASA's Desert Rats Take On Harsh Mobility Challenges". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-04-08.

[edit] External links

[edit] See also