NASA eventually wants to send mankind to Mars to explore the planet for traces of life and to test its habitability given that we can sustain a scientific research environment there. On the other hand, how will we get around?
Rather than relying on foot to get places, NASA will have to develop some kind of futuristic-looking, other-worldly space vehicle. One of the concepts, which has been created purely for entertainment purposes, is shown in this video.
Despite how closely it resembles a heavily-armored SWAT or military truck, it doesn't weigh much more than a full-sized pickup truck at 5,000 pounds.
This particular vehicle will never see Mars, but the vehicle is built out of aluminum and carbon fiber materials to stay lightweight and features a unique type of wheel that's made for crawling up the sand dunes, which are found everywhere on the red planet, without getting stuck.
In addition, it has tons of bright lights, mock-up life support, and communications systems that make is a versatile tool for potential Mars researchers.
We're not entirely sure how or when a trip to Mars will be possible, but preparing prototypes for the vehicles and equipment we might need before the time to go comes is probably a good idea.
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JUN 09, 2017