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RATS

Research and Technology Studies

A field test led by NASA to assess surface operation concepts, including rovers, spacewalk timelines, and ground support.

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RATS Fact Sheet

Get the facts on the elements, technologies and crew roles and responsibilities for the 2012 RATS analog mission.

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Analog Mission Vodcasts

Vodcasts shot on location during analog missions, by the NASA EDGE and NASA 360 teams.

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Past RATS Missions

The Space Exploration Vehicle is tested as part of Mission Day 2 operations during the 2010 Desert RATS field tests at Black Point Lava Flow, Arizona. Photo credit: NASA

Read about the previous Desert RATS analog field tests in the desert environments of Black Point Lava Flow and Cinder Lake, Arizona.

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Latest Research and Technology Studies (RATS) Features

View of a simulated mission to a near-Earth asteroid, from within the Multi-Mission Space Exploration Vehicle (MMSEV) cabin. Photo credit: NASA

RATS at JSC!

NASA's Research and Technology Studies (RATS) team kicks off a 10-day analog mission simulation at the Johnson Space Center.

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JSC2011E217099 -- Various stations of rock setups are in place to practice gathering geologic samples in another world

RATS 2012: Asteroid Simulation Mission

NASA’s Research and Technology Studies team created a simulated near-Earth asteroid exploration mission in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility.

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Crewmates José Hurtado and Alvin Drew conduct an MMSEV flying simulation.

Analogs Blog: Test-Driving a Spaceship

Dr. José Hurtado explains the simulated asteroid mission activities that the RATS team is conducting during the 2012 Phase 1 testing at Johnson Space ...

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Picture of the Multi-Missioni Space Exploration Vehicle (MMSEV), shown in the

2012 Research and Technology Studies Resume at JSC

The Research and Technology Studies team (RATS) conducts habitability testing and asteroid mission simulations in JSC's Building 9.

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Latest Posts From the Analog Missions Blog

Scientists and researchers are performing field tests on Earth to prepare for the challenge of exploring destinations in space - and blogging about their work:

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About the RATS Team

The Research and Technology Studies (RATS) team evaluates technology, human-robotic systems and extravehicular equipment for future human exploration missions in space. The team runs simulated missions, also known as analogs, at NASA's Johnson Space Center to provide a knowledge base that helps scientists and engineers design, build and operate better equipment, and establish requirements for operations and procedures.

› Check out the 2012 RATS Crew and Mission Support Team!