At the Robopalooza festival in the California desert, engineers are stress-testing space robots, which they say could someday build the infrastructure needed to settle the moon and beyond.
Sponsor Message
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
People love going to festivals in the desert, right? Like, think Burning Man or Coachella. But, you know, there is one desert festival that not many people know about, tucked away in a windy spot near Barstow, California.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL GROUP: (Singing) Lay down, Sally…
ROB MUELLER: Thanks for coming. Welcome. Welcome to the Mojave Desert.
CHANG: (Laughter).
It’s got all the trappings of any old desert fest.