Practicing to Explore the Moon
Department:
The Future in Space
Teaser:
The Haughton impact structure is located on Devon Island in Canada is the only crater known on Earth that lies in the polar desert. It provides a unique site for testing equipment and techniques to be used in exploring the Moon. Scientists have been using it for this purpose since 1997. It is also the site of the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station which serves as a model Martian habitat.
Source:
SPACE.com Download time: Jan 7 2010 7:49 AM ET
Space agencies around the world have been gearing up for the return of human explorers to the moon by developing fantastic new technologies.
From rovers to rockets, these technologies are necessary for transporting astronauts to the moon and for performing surface geology and biology experiments. As the prospect of a renewed human presence on the moon approaches, it may be time to think about how our scientific priorities at the moon will best be achieved.
These are the issues being discussed by a group of researchers working in the Canadian Arctic. The team recently published a study in the journal Planetary and Space Science about the lessons they have learned while performing field science in an impact crater – and how these lessons could be used to provide guidelines for humans working on the lunar surface.…
See SPACE.com for links to further info.
