Oregon Public Broadcasting

The space agency NASA has plans to go back to the moon by the end of the next decade.  Long before any astronauts blast off, lunar rovers, robots, and crew modules need to be tested under lifelike conditions.

Would you believe the next best thing to stepping on the moon is a visit to Moses Lake, Washington?  Correspondent Tom Banse explains.

NASA's field test leader Bill Bluethmann says the space agency scouted about a dozen sites -- mostly in the West -- in its search for a suitable moon landscape.

Bill Bluethmann: "Moses Lake was really nice because it has nice rolling terrain. It has a wide variety of slopes.  It looks very lunar if you miss the telephone poles."

A 65-member NASA crew descends on an expanse of gray sand dunes south of town.  Normally, this area is used as an off-road vehicle park.

Bill Bluethmann: "We've really tried to really understand our systems.  So we've done a lot of long distance drives, both with pressurized suits on and with some new lightweight suits and then in shirt sleeves."

Which brings us to today's bizarre scene.  Astronauts in clunky space suits set out to explore the landscape.  A posse of technicians tails behind in street clothes.  The techs seem unconcerned about breathing the eastern Washington air.

The astronauts board a prototype lunar truck and ascend the nearest dune.  They stop to collect a pretend sample of lunar soil.

NASA brought a variety of lunar robots and rovers to Moses Lake.  Some are small remote controlled science rovers.  RV-sized crew modules rolled on six robotic legs.  The teenagers in the Kernan family of Moses Lake took the afternoon off to come for a look.

Derek Kernan:  "Looks pretty real. I've never seen this type of stuff before."

Derek Kernan's father, Mike, has no problem hearing his town and "lunar landscape" in the same sentence.

Mike Kernan: "I think weíre pretty blessed to be able to have these guys do this in the area. Kinda makes us unique and puts us on the map maybe."

The NASA engineers sound like they're coming away happy as well.

Lucien Junkin is the chief engineer on the lunar truck project.  Junkin consulted the last astronaut to walk on the moon, Apollo 17's Harrison Schmidt.

Lucien Junkin: "He said basically when you kick the soil, it powdered up.  It was like powder snow. This area out here mixed with all the St. Helens ash, itís very similar to what he described."

It doesn't particularly make Junkin want to go to the moon.

Lucien Junkin: "When I started my career at NASA, I wanted to be an astronaut. And then I got into robotics.  Not to offend them, but I like robotics a lot better than being the driver. I'd rather build the vehicles."

Two weeks of field testing in the sand dunes wraps up Friday.

NASA got marching orders to return to the moon from President Bush in 2004.  The planned lunar outpost is an intermediate step towards a longer term goal of sending astronauts to Mars.