University of Pennsylvania engineers, NASA, and five other universities tested robotic systems designed to help unmanned explorers cooperate in the dunes of White Sands, New Mexico, paving the way for Moon and Mars exploration
In early August, the crisp dawn sky above White Sands National Park glows faintly blue, gradually brightening as streaks of marigold and soft pink pierce the clouds with the rising sun.
But although the powder-white sand of the 30-foot gypsum dunes is cool at dawn, air temperatures become blistering hot as the sun approaches its zenith.
It’s precisely these harsh conditions that drew an interdisciplinary research team to this remote desert, using it as an Earthly stand-in for the Moon and Mars. Their goal: to evaluate lunar robots designed to traverse unforgiving terrain. [Read more…] about Researchers develop robots to work together to explore the Moon and Mars