NASA Desert RATS

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Practicing for Mars, Near Earth Objects (NEO - asteroids, comets) or even Deimos or Ceres.

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Desert RATS: Field tests simulating NEO and Mars Missions

NASA?s Desert Research and Technology Studies (RATS) are working through a series of tests in Flagstaff, Arizona ? tests which will provide the opening baselines for manned missions to Near Earth Objects (NEOs) and a base on Mars. The latest ?runs? are involving the use of the Space Exploration Vehicle (SEV), Habs, and a remote Mission Control Center (MCC).

Desert RATS:

NASA?s D-RATS evaluate technology, human-robotic systems and extravehicular equipment in the high desert, providing research and development prototypes to help scientists and engineers design, build and operate better equipment, and establish requirements for operations and procedures.

Although there is no official relation, the NASA team carries the name made famous by the British Army?s 7th Armoured Division ? which saw service during the Second World War ? since carried on by the 7th Armoured Brigade ? which led the involvement of nearly 300 British tanks entering Iraq at the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.

Desert RATS field tests have been going on for more than a decade now, with ever-increasing fidelity. This year the team ? consisting of engineers, astronauts, scientists, and technicians from across NASA and throughout industry and academia ? are conducting integrated mission simulations in the Arizona desert near the Black Point Lava Flow.

These simulations will evaluate the varying conditions that will enable multiple destinations for future human exploration including high earth orbit, Lagrange points, the Moon, near-Earth asteroids (NEAs), Mars moons, and ultimately the surface of Mars.

Training for a mission to an asteroid will also take place during October?s NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) mission, which will be based at the Aquarius underwater habitat in Key Largo, Florida. (Aquarius pic at bottom)

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Four asteroid mission scenarios are planned, listed as Condition 4 through 7, opening with three crewmembers heading out into deep space ? one remaining in the Deep Space Hab (DSH), while the remaining two conduct an EVA on the NEO, prior to moving up to the involvement of a SEV hosting the two crewmembers excursion to the asteroid?s surface.

The Condition 6 and 7 mission profiles are based on a crew of four, with one scenario seeing three crewmembers work inside the SEV at the asteroid, whilst one remains in the DSH. The other scenario involves all four crewmembers heading to the asteroid, in two SEVs.

Per MOD?s ?Train? element of their PTF approach, mock ups of the SEV and DSH on the ground have allowed for an element of training for crews involved in the Desert Rat simulations. Known as ?Dry Runs? ? three simulations have already been carried out.

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