Monday 27th October 2008

NASA To Send Caravan To Space

Is it a bird... is it a plane... nope - its a caravan!

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Rover Returns

NASA has unveiled a new Lunar Rover that will allow astronauts to undertake two week long ‘road trips’ when they touch down on the moon in the next decade.

Unlike the stripped-down moon buggies that NASA abandoned on the moon’s surface after the 1970s Apollo program, the latest proposal is more akin to a campervan with a pressurised living pod. This means the next generation of lunar explorers will not require space suits unless they need to leave the vehicle – in which case they climb directly into suits mounted externally to air-locked exit ports.

The cabin is reportedly comfortable with leather seats and bunks, as well as large windows, and would allow two astronauts to make camping trips of up to 625 miles – a far cry from the six or seven mile range of the first Lunar Rovers.

With 12 wheels mounted in pairs, the Small Pressurised Rover Concept doesn’t look quite as cool as the original, but that’s the price of progress. The vehicle is pictured here undergoing testing in the Arizona desert.

[bencollins]

1) needs bigger wheels
2) that splitter looks crap

[CypherP]

I wonder what type of fuel economy its going to have as well? 625 miles is pretty good for a space camper. Is this the 2 door or 4 door version though?

[SkinnyBoy]

Imagine the tailbacks the poor little Clangers are going to have to endure on the bank holiday weekends....

[Monkey boy 1]

looks more like this

[Xaero]

This seems more space news then motoring news. Does it have a V8?

[Adrian W]

can i have one just in case i have to go to Basildon again

[filski666]

I can see how they get INTO those externally mounted spacesuits......but they look like being a right bugger to get OUT of....would have to climb onto Lunar-caravan, back up to air-lock, somehow lock suit on and seal it (all from behind you), then get your mate inside(presumably) to undo the hatch in the back.

If you had had an argument previously over who ate the last bit of freeze dried ice-cream he might leave you hanging on the front of the lunar-caravan for days......

[timewatch]

Lunarcy !

F'n caravaners get everywhere...

Ah' well now that India has sent a mission to the Moon they will always have a corner shop to get a few supplies in !

TW>>>

[Sivraj]

Don't think I would want to spend two weeks in it, looks a bit small, (what do they do for the loo its not like thay can pop out side for a quick slash)
Also 'as welcome as a fart in a space suit' does have some relevance to this story.

[andrew.delamare]

SO why if there are living quarters on it did they not cover the driving position? Seems a little crazy, surley is move expnsive in resources to use a space suit then it is to have a covered position.

ALso how fast is it around the ring.. i need a benchmark;)

[rockystarr]

I wonder how long before Top Gear start destroying these.

[u81922]

Petrol engined like the last ones?

[notthehamster]

I do hope it's not a Rover. This thing will need to be Reliable.

[bogie]

u81922 said:

Petrol engined like the last ones?

nah...military grade diesels from an M1 Abrams tank ...the greenies are going to have a field day now that we are going to be polluting the moon too

[ridds]

haha it's not going anywhere with those wheels and tyres.

[bencollins]

bogie said:

u81922 said:

Petrol engined like the last ones?

nah...military grade diesels from an M1 Abrams tank ...the greenies are going to have a field day now that we are going to be polluting the moon too

thought the original was a fuel cell??

[anonymous-user]

Looks like a mobile toilet.
Perhaps somewhere for George Micheal to go cottaging and not get arrested

[Lord Snot]

Monkey boy 1 said:

looks more like this

WTF is that!

[SS HSV]

That's the Russian version

[Andrew Golby]

So what's wrong with a caravan anyway?! Here's a question: given that motorhomes are generally thought of as quite cool bits of kit, how come caravans aren't? Okay so the big American RVs are something else, but a decent UK motorhome is not so different to a caravan really...