NASA’s ‘Chariot’ for 2020 landing

NASA has a brilliant space vision for mankind: A landing on the moon in 2020 and a human colony soon thereafter. All this will be based on exploration done by a little vehicle dubbed the ‘Chariot.’ Designed by Johnson Space Center, the Chariot is all golden and flashy. It took the team a whole year to design this fantasy lunar rover. Lucien Junkin was the chief engineer for this project and his 17-year of experience at NASA robotics program has gone into the concept. Junkin says his concept doesn’t resemble first-generation rovers.

the chariot

He says:

It challenges all the conventional wisdom of astronauts sitting as they drive. Our crew members will stand up, and we can carry more than two astronauts. The Chariot can move in a crablike motion from side to side as well as forward and reverse. It has six wheels instead of four wheels.

Thanks for clearing that up.

By the by Chariot will get around at a top speed of 15mph and will travel in a range determined by the walk-back distance i.e. the feasible distance that astronauts could travel on foot in the event of a breakdown.

Time for a little word on the looks. Is it only me or there are others that think this thing is a bit too flashy? I mean is that the best earthlings can do in 2020? Aliens would be laughing I tell you!

Via