Robots in the Desert

[David Brinza]

Here's a picture of the ATHLETE (All-Terain Hex-Legged Extra-Terrestrial Explorer) robot in action near Berringer Crater, Arizona. Notice that the "deck" is perfectly level. ATHLETE can accommodate almost half a ton of "payload" (habitat, instrumentation, supplies, etc.) and move at 10 km/hr over rugged terrain. It can have its legs tucked in for launch, connect to other ATHLETE to form a "train", and climb slopes in excess of 45 degrees. JPL is leading the development of ATHLETE in conjunction with NASA/Johnson Space Center, NASA/Ames Research Center, Stanford University (winner of the DARPA Grand Challenge) and Boeing. This robot could play a significant role in NASA's Vision for Space Exploration, where a permanent human presence on the Moon and eventual human exploration of Mars is planned.