Mission & Goals
What we're solving for and why it matters.
The HERA program at NASA is part of the Artemis II series of missions that plan to launch within the next 1–2 years. Our challenge is to aid the astronauts—teachers, geologists, and specialists—on these missions by designing a set of 4 rovers to traverse the harsh environments of the Moon and Mars, alongside a model landscape that accurately simulates those extraterrestrial conditions.
In practice, these rovers would be used to scout and map the terrain, as well as for the mining of precious metals.
Goals
- Build an accurate 8 ft × 8 ft lunar environment where rovers can navigate and carry out tasks
- Create a physical rover capable of mining, support, and reconnaissance missions
- Test rover performance on mock Lunar and Martian conditions
- Immerse astronauts into a realistic mission experience
- Make a user-friendly way to control and adjust the rover
NASA HUNCH
High School Students United with NASA to Create Hardware. Connects student teams with real NASA engineering challenges, providing hands-on experience in aerospace design and fabrication.
HERA
The Human Exploration Research Analog at Johnson Space Center simulates deep-space missions. Our rovers and terrain are designed to operate within HERA mission scenarios.
HERA habitat / NASA HUNCH program photo