NASA, Texas A&M partner for Exploration Park Facility
LEAGUE CITY, Texas (KBTX) – NASA and Texas A&M University announced an agreement to lease land in Exploration Park at Johnson Space Center.
“This will allow us to have a space where we can have collaboration between academia, industry and we expect our international community as well.” NASA Johnson Director Vanessa Wyche said.
The A&M University System will develop a facility to mimic conditions on the moon and Mars. They’ll build two buildings, each around two-and-a-half acres large, to help test robots, systems, or other equipment before ever leaving the surface of the earth.
“Every other facility in the country has to do with orbiting. This is going to be the one that has to do with the surface,” Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp said.
Robert Ambrose, a former NASA employee and current Texas A&M engineering professor, is one of the driving forces behind getting the project going.
“We had people from every part of the state, El Paso, North Texas, the Valley, all come together brainstorming on how they would use this facility for their students and in their research and senior design projects. That could be a very dynamic place where all Texans get to come together and work on the moon and Mars. What a great opportunity,” Ambrose said.
The plans call for more than 100 bays, each to be used by academics, industry professionals, or private businesses looking to test their products before launch.
“Imagine a garage where you open a roll-up door and you roll out on the moon,” Ambrose said.
Ambrose added construction is expected to take two to three years.
The announcement took place at the AIAA-hosted Ascend Texas Conference.
