NASA practices for Mars exploration on Kīlauea

Left: Astronauts James A. Lovell, Jr., and Fred W. Haise, Jr., members of NASA's third team of moon explorers, carried cameras, communications equipment, and an Apollo Lunar Hand Tools scoop during a simulation of a lunar traverse at Kīlauea Volcano in December 1969. Right: Astronauts from NASA's BASALT field team explore Kīlauea's Mauna Ulu lava flow field within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park in September 2016. Their custom-made backpacks hold necessary electronics and communications systems, including portable GPS, handheld spectrometers, video cameras, and communication equipment, as well as the tool of every geologist: a rock hammer. Photos courtesy of NASA.