Texas A&M Unveils First-ever Life-size Simulation of the Moon and Mars’ Surface
Bringing the Frontier of Space Exploration to Texas
In a groundbreaking initiative led by the Texas A&M Space Institute, the state of Texas has funded a colossal $200 million project to create an at-scale simulation of the moon’s surface and the surface of Mars. Located at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, this massive effort represents a new frontier in space exploration, providing a platform for astronauts to better train and prepare for missions to these celestial bodies.
Expansion of Space Exploration in the Brazos Valley
At the helm of this initiative are Dr. Nancy Currie-Gregg and Dr. Robert Ambrose from the Texas A&M Space Institute. When describing the upcoming facility, Dr. Currie-Gregg thrilled listeners with her depiction of the phenomenal scale of the project. She likened the facility to two football fields or “two Kyle Fields with a building in between and a building in a building.”
The vision of the project is to allow researchers to literally open up their garage doors and venture onto simulated lunar or Mars surfaces. From here, testing rover operations, utilizing space suits and their habitats, and conducting field operations would become a daily reality.
A Larger Version: Coming Soon at Houston
The Houston-based facility will serve as a larger version of the lab currently in use at the RELLIS Campus in Bryan. Here, faculty and students are already developing different robots to aid with future missions to the moon and Mars. Dr. Ambrose discussed the plans for these robots, noting that they aim to dispatch them to areas of the moon that may be hostile or impractical for human exploration – such as the bottom of a crater.
Breaking Boundaries in Space Exploration by Bridging the Gap
It’s not just robots that are being developed. Texas A&M graduates, like Emily Wilkinson, are testing the extremes of what’s possible. Wilkinson is conducting experiments that range from -60 degrees Celsius all the way up to 120 degrees Celsius, effectively pushing the bounds of what can be accomplished in space exploration.
For Wilkinson and countless others, these life-size simulations of a lunar and Martian landscape present a dream come true scenario, merging aspirations in technology and hands-on work with an exciting new horizon in space exploration. Dr. Currie-Gregg, a four-time space-faring astronaut, noted the inimitable opportunity these scaled simulations present, “I’m really adamant of at-scale physical analogues. There’s no substitute for that.”