NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) are creating a new generation of small, smart, versatile robotic landers to achieve scientific and exploration goals on the surface of the moon and other airless celestial bodies, including near-Earth asteroids. Directed by NASA's Planetary Science Division, Headquarters Science Mission Directorate (SMD), the lander capability being developed will pave the way for many exciting robotic scientific missions. NASA's robotic Lander Test Bed conducts test activities to prove the design of this new generation of robotic landers. Marshall and APL engineers are currently conducting studies and test activities to aid in the design of this new generation of multi-use landers for future robotic space exploration.