Desert RATS

Challenger Center for Space Science Education partnered with Green Trail Energy to bring its portable solar/wind generator aka "Power Droid" (right side, tower) to the 2009 NASA Desert RATS exercise in Arizona. Both NASA's Chariot and Tri-Athelete rovers were recharged by the Power Droid. Desert RATS base camp is to the center and left. To the extreme left you can see the Lunar Electric Rover - its communications gear appears twice again (partially) due to panorama processing. You can view the full GigaPan panorama here at gigapan.org

NASA has concluded two weeks of technology development tests on two of the agency's prototype lunar rovers. The Desert RATS -- or Research and Technology Studies -- in the Arizona desert at Black Point Lava Flow allow NASA to analyze and refine technologies and procedures in extreme environments on Earth.

This video was shot on 14 September 2009 on a "day off" at NASA Desert RATS Base Camp. There are normally many more people here.

These shipping containers carry all of the tools and spare parts needed to keep the various Desert RATS rovers and robots in operation.

The NASA Desert RATS Lunar Electric Rover heads out of base camp on its last traverse before the end of its 14 day mission

The Challenger Center/Green Trails Energy Trailer is located on the road that enters Desert RATS base camp. As such we see all of what is coming and going. This afternoon, the Athlete rover wandered by, more or less on its own, stopped, and then moved on.

The Lunar Electric Rover (LER) rolls out for its last day of a 14 day mission. NASA Edge and Challenger Center/OnOrbit personnel used their cameras to get a gopher's eye view of the rollout and provided color commentary afterward.