Tires on the ground ...

Hmmm ... now that seems like an idea with traction. Let's put a business plan together & find out how to make it happen.

I'm game. But we need to move the discussion. It would be off topic here.

I propose the "Anything of Interest" forum in the Members area.

Comments?

LB

A little clarification on my last post. The business side of something like this would be off topic here. Rovers on Mars are not.

LB

RC Rovers on Mars would have a problem with communications turn-around time wouldn't they? Unless we can find a way to modulate a beam of gravity waves.

Yes.

The one-way travel time for radio signals varies from around 4 minutes to around 20 minutes. There is no choice but to live with it. The rovers would need to be semi-autonomous, able to travel some distance based on the last instructions received from the human driver on Earth.

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I'm visualizing a small device, about the size of a cell phone (or smaller, hopefully) with a wheel at each corner. Objects this small can be very tough. Little radio-controlled toy cars this size can survive some amazing abuse. Deliberate attempts to destroy them are frequently unsuccessful. So if the driver goofs and runs a rover off of a cliff, it would probably survive.

Right side up, or upside down, they should operate normally. I've seen small RC toys that are like this.

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Or, perhaps some sort of jumping and/or rolling propulsion system should be used. Small size is a big help when unconventional methods of locomotion are involved.

LB

larry
how long do you think it will take nasa, when they do get boots on the ground,to share with everyone what they actually find.i for one would love for a country to get boots on the ground that would share in the excitment with everyone all that they find insted of picking what they whant you to have.