Aug-16-09 | |
The mesh on the Apollo LRV tire was woven from zinc-coated piano wire, the tread formed from a series of titanium-alloy chevrons and the inner frame comprised of a partly rigid metal "bump stops" to minimize impact damage to the aluminum hub. Looking like a skeleton of a car tire, the design worked so well on the LRV because it only needed to support 60 pounds (360 pounds Earth weight) of weight over short distances.
The Goodyear-NASA team says that vehicles closer to home might also benefit from this project's research as tough airless, all-terrain tires could be used on "mobility critical small vehicle applications; such as fire fighting support vehicles, robotic vehicles, off road and desert vehicles, trash hauling and mining equipment.