NASA Ames Space Scientists have a long history of conducting fieldwork in planetary analog environments.  Analog environments are typically in remote locations with extreme environmental characteristics that are similar to those found in space or on other planetary bodies.  As NASA prepares to send humans and robots out into the Solar System and beyond, we need to learn how to live and work off our home planet.  Analog fieldwork allows us to prepare for these space missions so that we can plan, develop, and test the necessary technologies and operational concepts to ensure mission safety and success.

We also are committed to Education and Public Outreach.  Through the NASA Spaceward Bound program we regularly take teachers and students out into the field with us for hands-on training and learning about planetary analog fieldwork.  More information about Spaceward Bound can be found here:  http://quest.nasa.gov/projects/spacewardbound/