Message posted by Andre' M. Dall'au on March 24, 2001 at 7:01:18 PST:
Actually the Lunar Rover, the small electrically powered vehicle first brought to the moon by Apollo 15, was initially tested in the huge crater in Arizona (or New Mexico, one of you Southwestern guys can help refresh my memory). But it was the same one used as a backdrop for "Starman". NASA used it to also have the Astronauts work with the imroved LEM, that could have it's legs externally modified to straighten the LEM after landing. An early landing was so far off vericle, the astronauts woke up one night hearing a noise, thinking they were toppling over. True story. The crater also was used, as was a little-known track at the KSC, to give the crew practice at driving the buggy. It had velcro seats (NASA loved velcro, so much so it was a major cause of the Apollo 1 disaster, but that's another story), so the riders wouldn't get bounced out. It was controlled by a center control stick, forward go, back stop, right for right, etc. They were never allowed to drive further than they could walk back with their backpacks, and if a backpack failed during a drive they had to return immediately to the LEM. You could buddy-breathe a backpack, but if a backpack failed AND the Buggy wrecked or failed, they'd be two dead astronauts. By the way Snoop, it's RC cola and moon pie, and it's the state snack of the South, and you could only wish it came in MRE's instead of grey squeeze cheeze, and eggs that I wouln't feed a goat with foot and mouth disease.
In Reply to: Re: Hey Joerg, is this crap "on topic"?...YES!!! posted by Magoo on March 23, 2001 at 15:21:07 PST:
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