A NASA-led team will head for sites near Flagstaff, Ariz. next week to test innovative equipment. Engineers and scientists lead the Desert Research and Technology Studies (RATS) team from the Johnson Space Center (JSC), Houston, and the Glenn Research Center, Cleveland. The team includes members from NASA centers, universities and private industry. Their efforts may help America pursue the Vision for Space Exploration to return to the moon and travel beyond.

The sand, grit, dust, rough terrain and extreme temperature swings of the desert are attractive, simulating some of the conditions that may be encountered on the moon or Mars. Crews wearing prototype-advanced spacesuits will use and evaluate the new equipment for two weeks starting Sept. 14.

"For field testing, the desert may be the closest place on Earth to Mars, and it provides valuable hands-on experience," said Joe Kosmo, JSC senior project engineer for the experiments. "This work will focus on the human and robotic interaction we'll need for future lunar and planetary exploration, and it will let us evaluate new developments in engineering, science and operations," he said.

See: Replicating Mars: NASA JSC's Remote Field Demonstration Test Site