Goodyear Joins Lockheed Martin for Lunar Rover Tires
The upcoming Project Artemis intends on putting a new rover on the moon, built by General Motors and Lockheed Martin, and running on Goodyear airless tires.
Goodyear is already in the first phases of developing these unique tires, but it’s already facing several challenges, first the extremely rough crater-ridden lunar terrain and also the wild temperature variation, where it can go from below -250 degrees Fahrenheit at night to over 250 degrees Fahrenheit during the day.
Chris Helsel, senior vice president of global operations and chief technology officer at Goodyear. Made sure to point out that the current research and development work won’t be exclusively directed to extraterrestrial use: “Everything we learn from making tires for the Moon will help us make better airless tires on Earth."
This isn’t the first time Goodyear works in outer space, it has previously provided some critical parts for the Apollo 11 mission back in 1969. Components like the window frame for the command module, the panel holding the instruments, and the flotation bags for the capsule’s landing on earth.
Goodyear Joins Lockheed Martin for Lunar Rover Tires
Rovers have always been an integral part of lunar missions. Astronauts used them extensively on the Apollo 15, Apollo 16, and Apollo 17 missions. But their area of operation was limited to a few miles around the landing craft, used only to facilitate the astronauts’ movements.
Project Artemis however, will give a bigger role to the lunar module. It should be able to do long trips around the moon and stay operational for years. these details confirm Lockheed’s intentions on giving the mission a commercial spin, giving regular people and other space travel companies the chance to use the rover in multi-purpose lunar visits, including space tourism.
We still don’t know what the lunar module would look like in its entirety, all we have at the moment is a 3D render of GM’s design, showing a flat lower section and a roll hoop with a light. With enough room for two people and more cargo space in the back.
The rover will be operated directly by humans, but it will also have some autonomous driving capabilities to move when needed picking up stranded astronauts and bringing them back to base.
Just like on the moon, rough terrain here on earth always takes a toll on your vehicle’s general condition. Especially when dust particles gather inside the car and in the gaps of its body. The solution to prevent all these problems is to use high-quality custom-made car covers from Coverking.
Coverking products are custom-made, meaning that dust won’t find any gaps to get between the car and the cover. Preventing a lot of damage from happening.
The covers are also made from strong composite fabric, specifically designed to resist adverse weather conditions, and keep your car protected for years.
