Lunar 'sandbox' helps robots see in harsh moon lighting

Everything is more extreme on the moon. On top of temperatures that range from -300 F to 224 F, future astronauts and probes must deal with lighting conditions generously described as "harsh." To help, researchers at Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley created a lunar testbed, complete with craters, fluffy dust and solar simulator lights. The goal is to develop sensors that can "see" in such conditions to help probes and, eventually, humans navigate the surface safely. With no atmosphere to scatter and reflect lighting, "what you get on the Moon are dark shadows and very bright regions that are directly illuminated by the Sun -- the Italian painters in the Baroque period called it chiaroscuro," says NASA Ames computer scientist Uland Wong.