The information will be fed to sensors on the astronauts' spacesuits, moon buggies and rovers. Ohio State university researcher Ron Li is spearheading the research effort under a $1.2 million NASA grant that begins Aug. 1. He presented a preliminary look at the work at a lunar science conference being held this week at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. The plan is to combine images from satellites with ground views to create maps of the lunar terrain. Motion sensors on lunar vehicles and on the astronauts' spacesuits will help a crew pinpoint their location. Finally, signals from lunar beacons, the crew's lander and eventually from base stations will give astronauts a picture of their surroundings, similar to what GPS devices on Earth provide. Li and colleagues at Ohio State, University of California at Berkeley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and NASA's Glenn Center plan to develop a prototype system for testing in California's Mojave Desert. The technology is based on a system developed for NASA's Mars rovers, which Li helped develop. Related Links: |
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