Trucks on Mars?

July 23, 2001
A medium-duty truck chassis designed for the military may become the backbone of a vehicle designed to explore the surface of the planet Mars. Stewart & Stevenson, which builds a family of medium tactical vehicles for the U.S. Military, said its chassis is being used as a platform for one of the two rovers to be created for the Michigan Mars Rover Project. As part of the project, a team of college
A medium-duty truck chassis designed for the military may become the backbone of a vehicle designed to explore the surface of the planet Mars. Stewart & Stevenson, which builds a family of medium tactical vehicles for the U.S. Military, said its chassis is being used as a platform for one of the two rovers to be created for the Michigan Mars Rover Project.

As part of the project, a team of college students from around the world will research, develop and test the technologies, systems and integration for a future manned Mars rover. Thirty students from the University of Michigan, Queens University in Canada and the University of Queensland in Australia are participating.

Based on the current design concept, a successful manned trip to Mars will require a pressurized rover capable of sustaining three travelers for two to three weeks to conduct long distance field research from a Mars base camp.

Simulations using the project’s truck concepts will be conducted around mock-ups of Mars base camps in the Canadian arctic and southwest U.S.

Sponsored Recommendations

Heavy-Duty Maintenance Checklist

A maintenance checklist can help ensure you hit everything necessary during an inspection. Check out our free downloadable checklist to help streamline your repairs.

Five Ways a Little Data Can Save Your Company Millions

While most trucking and logistics companies rely on cellular to keep their work fleet connected, satellite has the ability to connect anywhere and through small data transmission...

Fleet Case Study: 15% YOY Growth for ITDS

Learn how this small trucking company scaled significantly and maintained outstanding customer service without adding additional people. Sylectus TMS can automate operations and...

Unlocking Fleet Safety & Efficiency: The Managed Service Advantage

Want to boost your fleet's safety and efficiency? Tune in now to discover the power of Managed Services in optimizing your safety program, streamlining operations, and making ...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of FleetOwner, create an account today!