|
Credit & Copyright: NASA
Explanation:
What would it be like to drive on the Moon?
You don't have to guess -- humans have actually done it.
Pictured above,
Apollo
16 astronauts
John Young and
Charles Duke recorded
video
during one such drive in 1972, with a digital version now available on the web.
No matter which direction it headed, the
Lunar Rover
traveled a path literally covered with rocks and craters.
The first half of
the above video
shows the rover zipping about a moonscape near 10 kilometers per hour, while the
second half
shows a dash-cam
like view.
The Lunar Rover was deployed on the later
Apollo missions
as a way for astronauts to reach and explore terrain further from the
Lunar Module basecamp than was possible by walking in
cumbersome spacesuits.
Possible
future
lunar missions
that might deploy
robotic rovers capable of beaming back similar videos
include those by
China,
Russia,
India, and
Google X-Prize contestants.
|
January February March April May June July August September October November December |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Apollo 16 - Moon
Publications with words: Apollo 16 - Moon
See also:
- APOD: 2026 August 25 Á Earths Shadow Visualized with Lunar Eclipses
- APOD: 2026 May 11 Á Moon Setting Behind Teide Volcano
- APOD: 2026 May 9 Á Messier Craters in Stereo
- APOD: 2026 April 15 Á The ISS Transits the Moon
- APOD: 2026 April 11 Á Artemis II: Flight Day 6
- The Bay of Rainbows
- Earthset from Orion