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The 1970s moon buggies are still up there. GM and Lockheed Martin want to make new ones - CNN

The 1970s moon buggies are still up there. GM and Lockheed Martin want to make new ones - CNN

The 1970s moon buggies are still up there. GM and Lockheed Martin want to make new ones - CNN
Jun 16, 2021 1 min, 46 secs

Human beings haven't been to the moon since that time but the Lunar Rovers, as they were better known, are still there.

Now, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) wants to return to the moon, and astronauts will need some wheels when they get there.

Technology has improved a lot since 1972, however, so astronauts won't be trying to fire up one of those old Moon Rovers like it's their granddad's Oldsmobile 442.

Instead, GM (GM) has teamed up with Lockheed Martin (LMT) to design a new generation of Rovers.

The astronauts will need to commute to their lunar workplaces with all their gear.

The new Rovers will still be powered by electricity just like the originals, engineers from GM and Lockheed said.

Internal combustion engines aren't really an option on the moon, as they require plenty of oxygen-rich air, and the moon doesn't have that.

Beyond that, not a whole lot is known for sure about the new Lunar Rovers.

The Lunar Rover will not go to the moon in pieces that need to be assembled, like a child's bike at Christmas time.

NASA will be sending highly trained scientists to the moon, and they'll have better things to do than go looking for "Part A" that's listed on the assembly diagram.

"You want them doing research, you don't want them building cars," said Shireman.

Somehow or another, even if it has be folded up like a sofa bed, the Lunar Rover will get to the moon in one piece.

It could just be fully autonomous all the time with astronauts just entering a destination and the Rover taking them there, or there could be a steering wheel or a control toggle, like there was on the original Rovers.

The companies intend for there to be multiple Rovers on the moon at a time.

A compass won't work because the moon doesn't have a strong magnetic field like Earth's.

And GPS navigation won't work because the moon isn't surrounded by global positioning satellites.

The Lunar Rover will have to rely on old-fashioned methods, although with the benefits of modern computer power, to find its way around.

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