For the Robotic Recon experiment, NASA is using a robot to scout portions of the Black Point Lava Flow in northern Arizona. The robot, called "K10", will be remotely operated from the NASA Lunar Science Institute located at the NASA Ames Research Center (Moffett Field, California). The data from "robotic recon" will be used to plan geology field work, which will be subsequently carried out by astronauts driving in the NASA "Lunar Electric Rover".

Date:
June 14 – June 26

Ground Control Location:
NASA Lunar Science Institute at NASA Ames Reserch Center, Moffett Field, California

K10 Robot Location:
Black Point Lava Flow (AZ)

Vehicle:
K10 planetary rover

K10 Mass:
176 lb (80 kg)

Payload Mass:
33 lb (15 kg)

Size (L x W x H):
43” x 36” x 52” (1.1 m x 0.9 m x 1.3 m)

Maximum Speed:
2 mph (0.9 m/s)

Computing:
Linux laptop (Redhat EL5 on Intel Core Duo T2400)

Instruments: 3D scanning lidar (3D topography measurements)
GigaPan (giga-pixel color panoramic images)
Microscopic imager (high-resolution terrain images)