The Arctic Circle: The training ground for NASA’s lunar robots

Sending men to the moon is a tall order, so NASA is being extra careful with its plans to send astronauts back there by 2020. Plans to establish a lunar outpost are being drawn up, and information is vital if we’re ever going to make it happen.

To make sure that all is calculated and that minimum risks are taken, astronomers in the agency are going to send lunar robots to “scout” ahead of their masters ti survey the shadowy parts of the Earth’s lone satellite. Though they’re not alive, these machines need some preparation, too so NASA took them on a field test.
 
Scientists needed a place which can best simulate a trek on the lunar surface, so they had to pick one very carefully. Deserts were the prime candidates, but the one chosen isn’t a place where you’d guess it would be: The frigid Arctic Circle.

According to NASA, a place called the Haughton Crater in Devon Island, Canada is the ideal place to go. It has a dry, rocky desert about 6.4 miles in radius and has a spot called Drill Hill which is similar in features to some lunar landing sites. The cold weather also simulates conditions in shadowy parts of the moon where temperatures drop to unearthly lows.

The robots are called K10 Red and K10 Black. They’re similar in structure to small lunar rovers and they weigh about 160 pounds. They’re equipped with high-tech laser sensors, GPS, cameras and terrain-penetrating radar to guide it and facilitate data collection. It can carry 110 pounds worth of samples in case lunar debris are required to be taken in.

Plans are also set to have these robots employed for the long term study of the moon. Even as humans make their way back to the moon, they will still be assisted by these robots which will serve as advance units in exploring uncharted parts. NASA’s astronomers say that the images that the robots will bring home should be very crisp in high-resolution 3D.

Sending men to the moon is a tall order, so NASA is being extra careful with its plans to send astronauts back there by 2020. Plans to establish a lunar outpost are being drawn up, and information is vital if we’re ever going to make it happen.

To make sure that all is calculated and that minimum risks are taken, astronomers in the agency are going to send lunar robots to “scout” ahead of their masters ti survey the shadowy parts of the Earth’s lone satellite. Though they’re not alive, these machines need some preparation, too so NASA took them on a field test.
 
Scientists needed a place which can best simulate a trek on the lunar surface, so they had to pick one very carefully. Deserts were the prime candidates, but the one chosen isn’t a place where you’d guess it would be: The frigid Arctic Circle.

According to NASA, a place called the Haughton Crater in Devon Island, Canada is the ideal place to go. It has a dry, rocky desert about 6.4 miles in radius and has a spot called Drill Hill which is similar in features to some lunar landing sites. The cold weather also simulates conditions in shadowy parts of the moon where temperatures drop to unearthly lows.

The robots are called K10 Red and K10 Black. They’re similar in structure to small lunar rovers and they weigh about 160 pounds. They’re equipped with high-tech laser sensors, GPS, cameras and terrain-penetrating radar to guide it and facilitate data collection. It can carry 110 pounds worth of samples in case lunar debris are required to be taken in.

Plans are also set to have these robots employed for the long term study of the moon. Even as humans make their way back to the moon, they will still be assisted by these robots which will serve as advance units in exploring uncharted parts. NASA’s astronomers say that the images that the robots will bring home should be very crisp in high-resolution 3D.