French manufacturer Michelin won't be installing its tires on any old vehicle. No sir! The manufacturer will be equipping the latest generation of NASA lunar vehicles, and not only with tires, but rather with a tire/wheel combo built from composite material by the Michelin research centres in Europe in North America. The tire/wheel package will improve the mobility of the lunar missions, with or without crew, planned for the next decade.
The main advantage of the Michelin Lunar Wheel is its capacity to remain flexible and maintain a constant pressure, enabling the lunar vehicle to traverse loose terrain and cross craters. In addition to low mass, the package features a high load-carrying capacity and is over three times as effective as the old model.
The tire/wheel combination was tested on Hawaii's Big Island, where the terrain is very similar to that of the lunar surface. Americans got a glimpse of the vehicle in question at the inauguration of the 44th president of the United States as the astronauts drove up Pennsylvania Avenue.
Michelin has been working with NASA for over twenty years, providing the tires used on the American shuttles.
photo:Michelin
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The main advantage of the Michelin Lunar Wheel is its capacity to remain flexible and maintain a constant pressure, enabling the lunar vehicle to traverse loose terrain and cross craters. In addition to low mass, the package features a high load-carrying capacity and is over three times as effective as the old model.
The tire/wheel combination was tested on Hawaii's Big Island, where the terrain is very similar to that of the lunar surface. Americans got a glimpse of the vehicle in question at the inauguration of the 44th president of the United States as the astronauts drove up Pennsylvania Avenue.
Michelin has been working with NASA for over twenty years, providing the tires used on the American shuttles.
photo:Michelin