Jim Cast

Headquarters, Washington, DC February 9, 1995

(Phone: 202/358-1779)

Michael Mewhinney
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
(Phone: 415/604-9000)

Keith Takahashi/Evelyn Smith

McDonnell-Douglas Aerospace, Huntington Beach, CA
(Phone: 714/896-1302/896-1700)

Mardie Lane
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
(Phone: 808/967-7184

Susan Lendroth
The Planetary Society, Pasadena, CA
(Phone: 818/793-5100)

RELEASE: 95-14

NASA SCIENTISTS TO CONTROL RUSSIAN ROVER EXPLORING VOLCANO

From a laboratory in California, NASA scientists next

week will drive a modified Russian planetary rover around
the most active volcano on Earth.

Scientists at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field

CA, will use Russia's modified Marsokhod rover to conduct
field tests simulating remote-controlled exploration of the
Moon and Mars from laboratories on Earth. Tests will be
conducted Feb. 13-18 in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on
the Big Island of Hawaii.

The field tests are part of a cooperative effort

involving McDonnell Douglas Aerospace, Arizona State
University and the University of Hawaii. The tests were
funded in part by NASA and cost approximately $400,000.

The tests also are being conducted in cooperation with

The Planetary Society, the JASON Foundation for Education,
the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, and
Russia's Lavochkin Association, Institute for Space
Research (IKI) and VNITTransMash, an organization of the
Russian Space Agency.

-more-

-2-
 The Marsokhod is capable of traversing both Martian and
lunar terrain. The same Russian team that developed the
successful Lunakhod rovers has been developing the
Marsokhod for possible future missions to Mars. Its
superior mobility also makes it suitable for more ambitious
lunar investigations. It is equipped with six cone-shaped
titanium wheels, each with its own drive motor, which
enable it to climb over large boulders nearly 3 feet (90
centimeters) high. It also has a robotic arm built by
McDonnell Douglas to retrieve objects and video cameras to
transmit live stereo images.

"The combination of the Russian rover chassis with

western avionics is an excellent example of the benefits
that are possible from international cooperation," said
John Garvey, project manager for the McDonnell Douglas team
that is sponsoring the use of the Russian chassis for the
activities in Hawaii.

"The rover takes advantage of new technologies from

other programs like last year's Clementine mission to the
Moon and NASA's upcoming Mars Pathfinder," he added. Both
are examples of small, capable, relatively cheap spacecraft
for planetary exploration. "We now have a sophisticated
prototype of a long-distance rover that could start
exploring the Moon in the very near future."

The test site in Kilauea Volcano's summit caldera and

southwest rift zone is located about 30 miles (48
kilometers) southwest of the town of Hilo. This barren,
volcanic terrain is similar to what scientists expect to
find on another planet. At an elevation of 4,000 feet
(120,000 centimeters), the remote site has sparse
vegetation and is comprised of ash deposits, jagged rocks
and loose, crumbly lava.

During the first three days of tests, Feb. 13-15,

scientists will control the Marsokhod using a Virtual
Environment Vehicle Interface (VEVI) software program to
simulate a Mars mission. Scientists are hoping to make the
tests as realistic as possible.

Upon completion of the Mars and lunar simulation tests,

the team will then transport the rover to a site in the
park where lava flows into the sea at Lae Apuki. From Feb.
27 to March 11, the Marsokhod will participate in the JASON
VI "Island Earth" Project, a nationwide educational
outreach program.

Ames, along with more than 20 other locations throughout

the country, will serve as a Primary Interactive Network
(PIN) site for the JASON project. During the two-week
project, approximately 8,000 fourth through eighth grade
students at Ames will join thousands of other students at
other sites in a series of live interactive television
broadcasts from Hawaii featuring scientists working on a
variety of experiments, including the rover tests. Sixty
students at the PIN sites will be chosen to operate the
rover during the live broadcasts.

-more-

-3-

Pioneered by Dr. Robert Ballard, the scientist who

discovered the wrecks of the R.M.S. Titanic and Bismark,
the JASON Project offers an electronic field trip for
thousands of students to interact with scientists during
the expedition.

Co-sponsors of the Ames PIN site include the Bechtel

Group, Inc., of San Francisco; the Oracle Corporation,
Redwood Shores, CA; and the Pacific Telesis Foundation, San
Francisco. Each of the three organizations contributed
$25,000 to support the PIN site so that Bay Area children
could experience this unprecedented educational activity.

-end-

NASA press releases and other information are available

automatically by sending an Internet electronic mail
message to domo@hq.nasa.gov. In the body of the message
(not the subject line) users should type the words
"subscribe press-release" (no quotes). The system will
reply with a confirmation via E-mail of each subscription.
A second automatic message will include additional
information on the service. Questions should be directed
to (202) 358-4043.