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During the first two weeks of September 2007, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Center (JSC) Advanced Extravehicular Activity (AEVA) team led the field test portion of the 2007 Desert Research and Technology Studies (D-RATS) in the Flagstaff, AZ area. The Desert RATS field test activity is the year-long culmination of various individual science and advanced engineering discipline areas’ technology and operations development efforts into a coordinated field test demonstration. The field test is conducted under representative (analog) planetary surface terrain conditions. The 2007 Desert RATS was the tenth RATS field test and was the most focused test to date with participants from seven NASA field centers, a variety of NASA support contractors, and one other government agency. The main test objective was to demonstrate two operational concepts for lunar outpost activities/assembly to inform future Constellation Architecture Team (CAT) studies.

The success of astronauts performing Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) is highly dependent on the performance capabilities of their spacesuit gloves. Thermal protection of crewmember's hands has always been a critical concern but has recently become more important because of the increasing role of the crewmember in the manipulation of objects in the environment of space. The utilization of EVA for challenging missions, such as the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) repair and Space Station assembly missions, has prompted the need for improved glove thermal protection. The increased manipulation of hot and cold objects is necessary to complete these complex missions. Thermal protection of the spacesuit glove is accomplished by the Thermal and Micrometeoroid Garment (TMG). The TMG is a multilayered cover that fits over the restraint layer of the spacesuit glove. The TMG is engineered to provide thermal protection for crewmember's hands as well as for the glove bladder and restraint.