#Ryan Magill

“Analog sites” on Earth provide NASA with test runs for beyond our planet

It just feels like we are on another planet. That was the consensus among the arriving students at Kilbourne Hole, New Mexico. On a swelteringly hot day in the middle of the desert, seemingly undisturbed by human settlement, one would not be alone in mistaking it for the famous desert planets of Tatooine from Star Wars or Arrakis from Dune. All that means is that NASA and the RISE2 team did their jobs right.

For the love of simplicity and helping everyone

One of Dr. Scheidt’s key objectives on the RISE2 mission was providing UAV data with drone technology. Simulating a satellite image taken of a planetary surface, his images provide the other scientists with the necessary information to help traverse the desert terrain in a realistic manner to that of astronauts on another planet.