[meteorite-list] NASA Simulates Space Exploration At Remote Arctic Crater Site

[Ron Baalke]

July 26, 2010

Michael Braukus 
Headquarters, Washington                                         
202-358-1979 
michael.braukus at nasa.gov 

Rachel Hoover 
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. 
650-604-0643 
rachel.hoover at nasa.gov 

RELEASE: 10-179

NASA SIMULATES SPACE EXPLORATION AT REMOTE ARCTIC CRATER SITE

WASHINGTON -- NASA personnel are among a group of international 
researchers who are in the Canadian Arctic assessing concepts for 
future planetary exploration as part of the Haughton-Mars Project, or 
HMP-2010. 

Scientists are using the arid, rocky environment of the Haughton 
Crater on Devon Island, Canada to simulate conditions that might be 
encountered by explorers on other planetary bodies. The latest 
edition of the HMP-2010 began July 19 and includes three weeks of 
crew and mission control activities and robotic testing. 

"Explorers, such as geologists, often find themselves with a set of 
observations they would have liked to make, or samples they would 
have liked to take, if only they had been able to stay longer at a 
site," said Terry Fong, director of the Intelligent Robotics Group at 
NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. "Our work this 
year is to study how remotely -operated robots, perhaps even vehicles 
previously used for crew transport, can be used to perform follow-up 
work." 

Using robots for such follow-up work could save astronauts from 
performing tedious, repetitive or time-consuming activities. 
Surveying a site could take hundreds to thousands of readings using 
ground-penetrating radar, spectrometers, or geotechnical instruments. 
Additionally, robots could make measurements and take pictures that 
complement or supplement those initially taken by humans. 

Mission planners speculate that in the future, there could be 
substantial amounts of time between crewed missions for robots to 
perform research work at a range of destinations. 

During HMP-2010, NASA will deploy robots developed by the Intelligent 
Robotics Group at Ames. The robots, known as K10s, are equipped with 
a variety of instruments including 3-D scanning lidar, color imagers, 
spectrometers and ground-penetrating radar. The K10s will map 
systematically above and below ground structures and characterize 
rocks, soil and landscape of key areas at Haughton Crater. 

NASA also will conduct a series of experiments designed to examine how 
future surface systems, such as crew rovers, might be repositioned 
robotically from one location to a new rendezvous location with 
astronauts. 

"Poor lighting and low resolution of satellite imagery can make a 
planned route look very simple from above," said Matt Leonard, deputy 
manager of the Lunar Surface Systems Project (LSS) at NASA's Johnson 
Space Center in Houston. "But once we are on the ground, we can see 
obstacles we couldn't before that make the route unexpectedly 
challenging. We will study how to use ground robots to scout 
alternative safe routes, categorize hard-to-detect obstacles and 
examine how best to prepare for venturing into unknown terrain." 

In addition to working around unexpected roadblocks during future 
planetary convoys, the LSS experiment team will study how a robot on 
a set route with a fixed schedule can conduct science tasks, such as 
taking samples or gathering images. The team will work with a K10 
robot and HMP's MARS-1 Humvee Rover field exploration vehicle to 
simulate a large planetary crew rover equipped with science 
instruments. 

The activities in Canada support both the Moon and Mars Analog Mission 
Activities Program in the Science Mission Directorate and the 
Exploration Technology Development Program in the Exploration Systems 
Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. 

The Haughton-Mars Project is an international, multidisciplinary field 
research project focused on the scientific study of the crater and 
surrounding terrain on Devon Island. The site's polar desert setting, 
geological features and microbiology make the crater a good site for 
moon and Mars analog studies. HMP-2010 is managed by the Mars 
Institute in Moffett Field, Calif., in collaboration with the SETI 
Institute in Mountain View, Calif. 

For information about NASA's Exploration Analog Missions and the 
Haughton Mars Project, visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/analogs 
	
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