Roving moon robots

NASA has been using two robots to survey a rocky, isolated polar desert within the Haughton Crater in the Arctic Circle.

It hopes to demonstrate the capability of robots in evaluating potential outposts on the Moon or Mars.

The robots, K10 Black and K10 Red, weigh 75kg and can carry hardware weighing up to 50kg. They are fitted with 3D laser scanners and radar, and navigate using GPS, stereo cameras and sun trackers. They were launched in the polar region because of the extreme environmental conditions, lack of infrastructure and resources, and geological features.

Haughton Crater at Devon Island, Canada, is geographically similar to Shackleton Crater at the South Pole of the Moon, and has a 20km diameter. The robots will map an area of 5,000km2.

‘Studying how humans and robots can maximise scientific returns in sites such as Devon Island will prepare us to walk on the Moon and Mars,’ said Simon Worden, director of NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California.