NASA New Generation Lunar Rover Adopts Michelin Wheels
Michelin will soon provide specially designed wheels for NASA’s next-generation lunar rover rovers. This wheel is made of very special materials and is a breakthrough in engineering. The wheels enable the lunar rover to maintain a good ability to move under extreme terrain conditions on the lunar surface.
Michelin has developed special wheel assemblies for NASA’s latest generation of lunar rover rovers. This technology was jointly developed by Michelin's R&D centers in Europe and North America. It uses not only patented composite materials but also tires and wheel assemblies that are structurally supporting each other. This R&D result satisfies NASA's requirements for the movement of rover vehicles during its manned or unmanned mission to the moon in the next decade.
Based on the Michelin TWEEL® technology, the Michelin lunar wheels can maintain good flexibility and continuous ground pressure, so the rover can smoothly pass through the soft soil and common craters on the lunar surface. In addition, this technology has the characteristics of low weight and high load capacity, and its working efficiency is 3.3 times that of the wheels originally installed on the Apollo Lunar Rover. Tire treads are made of a special textile that was developed by Michelin in collaboration with Clemson University and Milliken & Company to ensure that the lunar rover still has good traction at extremely low temperatures.
From October 31, 2008 to November 13, 2008, as part of NASA’s lunar simulation test and assessment program, the Michelin Moon Wheel undergoes rigorous testing in Hawaii, USA. The island's topography, rock distribution, and soil structure on the island provide ideal conditions for high-quality simulation of the moon's polar environment.
The Michelin moon wheel debuted at the inaugural ceremony of the 56th US president. At the ceremony in which President Barack Obama was sworn in, American astronauts climbed onto the newly developed prototype of a lunar rover, driving a vehicle with non-inflated Michelin wheels to Pennsylvania Avenue.
Michelin provided space shuttle special tires for NASA. Its history of cooperation has been more than 20 years.
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