NASA's
newest lunar rover prototype has now gone farther than it
ever has before.
A collection of engineers, astronauts and geologists have
spent the past week testing out the Small Pressurized Rover
in the 11th annual Desert RATS – or Research and Technology
Studies -- field tests. Two teams of one astronaut and one
geologist each have been driving the rover through the
Arizona desert, trying it out in two different
configurations.
One configuration leaves the crew members free to get on and
off the rover whenever they like, but they must wear
spacesuits at all times to protect them from the lunar
environment. The second configuration -- called the Small
Pressurized Rover, or SPR -- adds a module on top of the
rover’s chassis that the crew can sit inside as they drive
the vehicle, donning spacesuits whenever they want to get
out.
For the first week of tests, the rover has been driven on
day-long trips to determine how each configuration
performed. These have been some of the longest drives the
prototype has ever made, but next week the group will step
it up another notch or two, by going on a three-day drive
through the desert in the SPR to determine how it performs
and whether it's comfortable enough for long-duration trips.
The suits attach to the rover, so the crew
can climb inside the rover.
The new rover doesn't look ANYTHING like
the old one, that's for sure!
From NASA: October 24, 2008
