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Rovers have enabled some amazing explorations of other worlds like the Moon and Mars. However, rovers are limited by the terrain they can reach. To explore inaccessible terrain, NASA is testing a versatile snake-like robot that could crawl up steep slopes, slither across ice, and even slide into lava tubes. Called Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor (or EELS), this robot could cross different terrains and create a 3D map of its surrounding to autonomously pick its course, avoiding hazards to reach its destination.

“It has the capability to go to locations where other robots can’t go,” said Matthew Robinson from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who is the EELS project manager.  “Though some robots are better at one particular type of terrain or other, the idea for EELS is the ability to do it all. When you’re going places where you don’t know what you’ll find, you want to send a versatile, risk-aware robot that’s prepared for uncertainty – and can make decisions on its own.”

The inspiration behind EELS was to create an autonomous explorer that would have the ability to look for signs of life in the ocean hiding below the icy crust of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. The EELS team choose the snake-like design so that their robot could descend into the narrow vents on Enceladus’ surface that spew geysers into space.

*Anyone else having a vision of the space slug in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, the creature hiding in a cave in the Hoth asteroid belt that had the Millennium Falcon inside its gut?

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A space slug narrowly misses chomping on the Millenium Falcon in The Empire Strikes Back. Credit: Starwars.com.

They created their first prototype in 2019 and have been making continual revisions. The current iteration of the robot uses auger-like devices on the robot’s exterior to basically allow it to “churn” across the terrain. EELS’ body contains 48 actuators – essentially little motors – that give it the flexibility to assume multiple configurations. Each section has built-in force-torque sensing, working like a kind of skin so EELS can feel how much force it’s exerting on terrain. The team said that helps it to move vertically in narrow chutes with uneven surfaces, configuring itself to push against opposing walls at the same time like a rock climber.

To create the 3D map of its surroundings, EELS has four pairs of stereo cameras and lidar, which is similar to radar but employs short laser pulses instead of radio waves. The team created navigation algorithms so that EELS can take the lidar data and determine the safest path forward.

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The EELS team lowers the robot’s perception head – the segment with the cameras and lidar – into a vertical shaft called a moulin at Athabasca Glacier in the Canadian Rockies. Credit: NASA/JPL/Caltech.

The EELS team has tested the robot in several different places, such as the Mars Yard at JPL — which simulates the Martian surface – as well as sandy and snowy environments in California, and even on ice at skating rink. And they’ve even tested in in an environment similar to the vents on Enceladus (or the cave on the Hoth asteroid). Last year, the EELS team lowered the robot’s perception head – the segment with the cameras and lidar – into a vertical shaft called a moulin at Athabasca Glacier in the Canadian Rockies. They’ll
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The Best Backpacking Gear for the John Muir Trail

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10 hours ago

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June 5, 2023

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By Michael Lanza

So you’re planning to thru-hike the John Muir Trail and making all of the necessary preparations, and now you’re wondering: What’s the best gear for a JMT hike? Having thru-hiked the JMT as well as taken numerous other backpacking trips all over the High Sierra—mostly between late August and late September, which I consider that the best time to walk the Sierra, to avoid snow and the voracious mosquitoes and blazing hot afternoons of mid-summer—I offer the following picks for the best lightweight backpacking gear and apparel for a JMT thru-hike.

Indisputably one of the best backpacking trips in America—and among the very best I’ve taken over three decades of backpacking, including 10 years I spent as Northwest Editor and lead gear reviewer for Backpacker magazine and even longer running this blog—the JMT meanders for 211 miles through the magnificent High Sierra, from Yosemite Valley to the summit of the highest peak in the Lower 48, 14,505-foot Mount Whitney (where backpackers must then descend another 11 miles to finish the trip at Whitney Portal trailhead). See my story about thru-hiking the JMT in seven days.

With few opportunities to resupply along the trail—and given the generally dry weather in the Sierra in summer—you can easily and should hike the JMT with the lightest gear that works for you (or that you can afford). Maximum pack weight will depend on how many days you spend on the trail and your food weight, but it’s quite feasible to keep your base pack weight (everything but food and water) within 15 pounds or less—and certainly no more than 20 pounds—without compromising safety or comfort in camp.

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Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here for my e-guides to classic backpacking trips. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip.

A backpacker hiking the John Muir Trail above Helen Lake in Kings Canyon N.P., High Sierra.
” data-image-caption=”Marco Garofalo backpacking the John Muir Trail above Helen Lake in Kings Canyon N.P. Click photo to learn how I can help you plan your JMT thru-hike.
” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/thebigoutside.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/JMT2-085-Marco-Garofalo-hiking-above-Helen-Lake-John-Muir-Trail-Kings-Canyon-N.P.-High-Sierra..jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/thebigoutside.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/JMT2-085-Marco-Garofalo-hiking-above-Helen-Lake-John-Muir-Trail-Kings-Canyon-N.P.-High-Sierra..jpg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1″ decoding=”async” width=”900″ height=”600″ src=”https://i0.wp.com/thebigoutside.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/JMT2-085-Marco-Garofalo-hiking-above-Helen-Lake-John-Muir-Trail-Kings-Canyon-N.P.-High-Sierra..jpg?resize=900%2C600&ssl=1″ alt=”A backpacker hiking the John Muir Trail above Helen Lake in Kings Canyon N.P., High Sierra.” class=”wp-image-54840″ srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/thebigoutside.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/JMT2-085-Marco-Garofalo-hiking-above-Helen-Lake-John-Muir-Trail-Kings-Canyon-N.P.-High-Sierra..jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/thebigoutside.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/JMT2-085-Marco-Garofalo-hiking-above-Helen-Lake-John-Muir-Trail-Kings-Canyon-N.P.-High-Sierra..jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/thebigoutside
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CRS-28 Mission Control Audio

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12 hours ago

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June 5, 2023

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This is the vehicle trajectory and mission control audio without any additional commentary. There may be very long periods of silence. For our full hosted webcast, visit

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Photo Gallery: 36 Gorgeous Backcountry Lakes

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14 hours ago

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June 5, 2023

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By Michael Lanza

Water makes up about 60 percent of our bodies—and, I suspect, 100 percent of our hearts. We crave it not only physically, for survival, but emotionally, for spiritual rejuvenation. We love playing in it for hours as children and we paddle and swim in it as adults. We’re drawn by the calming effects of sitting beside a stream or lake in a beautiful natural setting, an experience that possesses a certain je ne sais quoi—a quality difficult to describe, but that we can all feel.

And nothing beats taking a swim in a gorgeous backcountry lake.

I’ve come across quite a few wonderful backcountry lakes over more than three decades of exploring wilderness—including about 10 years as the Northwest Editor of Backpacker magazine and even longer running this blog. I’ve just updated and expanded this list of my favorites to give you some eye candy as well as ideas for future adventures—and perhaps compare against your list of favorite backcountry lakes.

Wind4 016 1
Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here for my e-guides to classic backpacking trips. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip.

Click on the links to my stories in these brief writeups to learn more about each of these trips. Much of this story is free for anyone to read, but reading the entire story requires a paid subscription. See my Custom Trip Planning page to learn how I can help you plan a trip to any of these lakes.

If you know some gorgeous lakes that are not on my list, please suggest them in the comments section below this story. I try to respond to all comments.

Here’s to your next peaceful moment beside a gorgeous lake deep in the mountains somewhere.

Elizabeth Lake in Glacier National Park.
” data-image-caption=”Early morning at Elizabeth Lake in Glacier National Park. Click photo to learn how I can help you plan your Glacier trip.
” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/thebigoutside.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Gla6-018-Elizabeth-Lake-in-Glacier-National-Park.-2.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/thebigoutside.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Gla6-018-Elizabeth-Lake-in-Glacier-National-Park.-2.jpg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1″ decoding=”async” width=”900″ height=”600″ src=”https://i0.wp.com/thebigoutside.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Gla6-018-Elizabeth-Lake-in-Glacier-National-Park.-2.jpg?resize=900%2C600&ssl=1″ alt=”Elizabeth Lake in Glacier National Park.” class=”wp-image-38774″ srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/thebigoutside.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Gla6-018-Elizabeth-Lake-in-Glacier-National-Park.-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/thebigoutside.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Gla6-018-Elizabeth-Lake-in-Glacier-National-Park.-2.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/thebigoutside.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Gla6-018-Elizabeth-Lake-in-Glacier-National-Park.-2.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/thebigoutside.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Gla6-018-Elizabeth-Lake-in-Glacier-National-Park.-2.jpg?resize=1080%2C720&ssl=1 1080w, https://i0.wp.com/thebigoutside.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Gla6-018-Elizabeth-Lake-in-Glacier-National-Park.-2.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w” sizes=”(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px” data-recalc-dims=”1″ />Elizabeth Lake in Glacier National Park.

Elizabeth Lake, Glacier National
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