Posted by tourdemars to Technology at June 18, 2008 08:05 AM

This patch of desert may resemble the moon, but a team of NASA scientists who came here to test lunar robots, rovers and spacesuits found spring weather in Eastern Washington can be worse than outer space. During the two-week exercise, howling wind blasted sand into every nook and crevice of the machines — some of which were venturing outside the lab for the first time. Rain squalls forced scientists to shield state-of-the-art prototypes under blue tarps.