Quote:
Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce
At the Johnson Space Center's Lunar Yard, they are already testing several equipment designs, so they must have started on the design phase, years ago.
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Thanks for the link, Bruce. I've been exploring the NASA site quite a bit--cool stuff.
I never saw that first rover, which may be at JSC, but just so astrotourists aren't 2/3 disappointed on their visit to Houston:
The lunar rovers in pics 2 and 3 were tested in the state of Washington:
NASA Tests Lunar Robots and Spacesuits on Earthen Moonscape ["Earthen"?]
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. [halfway between Mount Rainier and
Idaho],
this month to prepare for the future.
Student astronaut, distracted by text messaging,
"splashed down" into the Sea of Tranquillity.
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.
While you're on that page, click "Photo Gallery" (under article) or "Gallery: Evaluating Lunar Concepts" (at right; same gallery).
Lookit what
this other gallery page for the vehicle in pic 2 is called!
Live and animated videos.