| Description | Discussing the problem of a lunar vehicle. Says that he is 'aware of the extra difficulties that a track involves ... I was really more concerned with the question of making a very light, small two-seater, never mind whether wheel or track, and Ski-doo seems to me a good example of such a thing ... I was disturbed about the size and weight quoted for the alternative to the flying machine, and with seeing the picture that looked like Stevenson's first design of the steam locomotive. For the most part, the moon's surface seems very convenient for running around with mostly a reasonable bearing strength and not very steep terrain. That fact, together with 1/6 g should give the possibility of a very light vehicle. Al Donovan suggested that the power source could be a small turbine, driven by a very rich mixture of rocket fuel ... If light surface vehicles were to go to some of the more interesting terrain where steep slopes have to be mastered, then I think a track might come into its own, and it might be necessary to overcome the particular problems that it raises. If we are only traveling around on the mare surface and not going down into any big craters, a small wheeled vehicle is probably preferable'. |