Turns out, Moses Lake makes a fine stand-in for the moon.

Preparing to send astronauts to the moon by 2020, NASA chose Moses Lake for testing because of the room it offered. And the sandy surface in Grant County resembles that of the lunar surface. In June, NASA engineers tested lunar equipment in the area, including two science rovers intended to move across the moon's surface, mobile habitats for astronauts' living quarters, and a crane designed to move equipment.

The plan is to send astronauts to the moon by 2020 to build a lunar outpost, Lucien Junkin, a NASA robotics engineer, told the Columbia Basin Herald. He said the testing in Moses Lake helps the NASA team understand how dusty it can be on the moon, among other things.