Gallery: Testing the Future: Astronaut in Space Remote-Controls Robot in California
01robot-in-roverscape
*NASA's K-10 rover maneuvers around the Roverscape, a pebbly field at the Ames Research Center full of obstacles such as boulders, fake rocks, and steep slopes.*
02k-10
*Close-up on K-10's cameras and LIDAR system*
03polyimide-film
*The thin polyimide plastic film deployed by K-10. A much more advanced version of this film could one day be used as part of a radio telescope on the moon's far side.*
04terry-fong
*Terry Fong, director of NASA's Intelligent Robotics Group, and a self-professed robot geek.*
05inside-mission-control
*A small team of engineers helps maintain communication and control with the International Space Station during the test.*
06control-room
*The mission control room on the Roverscape yard.*
07what-the-rover-sees
*The rover's software builds a 3-D model of its environment that allows it to avoid obstacles.*
08through-the-fence
*An observer snaps a camera phone picture of the robot in the Roverscape.*
