Vote to select NASA Desert RATS site in Arizona

NASA is inviting the public to help decide where in Arizona astronauts should drive the "Space Exploration Vehicle" (SEV) in September 2010 to explore and do geology field work as part of simulating a lunar mission.





NASA has taken two GigaPan panoramic images of the Desert RATS test site. You can look at these images and vote to help NASA decide which location to visit. The location that receives the most votes will be incorporated into the mission plan and the crew will go there in the SEV to perform field geology and collect rock samples. How to vote.

The Desert Research and Technology Studies (D-RATS) is a NASA-led team of engineers, researchers, and scientists working together to prepare for future human and robotic exploration. The D-RATS 2010 mission involves field testing two "Space Exploration Vehicles" (SEV), which allow astronauts to spend two weeks (or more) living, working, and traveling across different planets. During D-RATS 2010, astronauts will use two SEV's to explore a lava flow and test science data collection, communications protocols, mission operations, and advanced technology.