Mock Asteroid Mission Set for Launch - Cosmic Log
NASA’s Desert RATS team is ready to begin a visit to a near-Earth asteroid next week — a simulated mission, that is.
Since 1997, the Desert RATS crew have conducted summer simulations aimed at trying out the robots and other tools that may come into play during future exploration missions beyond Earth orbit. The “Desert” part of the name refers to the usual locale for the exercises, in the Arizona desert, and “RATS” stands for “Research and Technology Studies.”
This year is different: Instead of simulating surface operations on the moon or Mars, the team will focus on a zero-G visit to an asteroid, like the one NASA is planning for the mid-2020s. That means it’s not so important to go out into the desert. As a result, this month’s simulation is being run out of Building 9 at Johnson Space Center in Texas, the Desert RATS home base.
A mockup of NASA’s Multi-Mission Space Exploration Vehicle, or MMSEV, has been outfitted with a display that will show a virtual-reality view of the asteroid Itokawa out the front windows.
“It curves around the windows of the vehicle as a projection,” NASA spokeswoman Brandi Dean explained.