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Moon buggy sure to be a hit in Inaugural Parade
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| This Moon Buggy is sure to be a hit in the nation's capital Jan. 20 as it joins the Inaugural Parade down Pennsylvania Avenue. |
By MARY ALYS CHERRY
NASA is sure to be a runaway hit at next week's inaugural festivities, and it won't be the first time. As the 56th Inaugural Parade flows down Pennsylvania Avenue in the nation's capital Tuesday, the space agency's newest moon buggy will be grabbing all eyes as it brings up the rear of the long parade, looking like something from a science-fiction movie.
The buggy, built at the Johnson Space Center as a prototype for the vehicle that will transport astronauts around the moon's surface when we return there in 2010, was shown off to the press here last fall.
Its cabin is pressurized, which will allow astronauts to move about inside it without wearing the cumbersome space suits needed on the lunar surface.
It's a rather strange looking 12-wheeled vehicle, but, what NASA feels may be just the ticket for smooth riding on the lunar surface.
So far, it has passed intricate trials, designed to test its prowess, in the Arizona desert.
STS-126 Commander Chris Ferguson and his crew -- Pilot Eric Boe and Mission Specialists Donald Petit, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn Piper, Steve Bowen, Shane Kimbrough, along with Expedition 18 Flight Engineer Greg Chamitoff -- will accompany the lunar rover in the parade after President-elect Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th president on the steps of the Capitol.
Astronaut Michael Gernhardt will drive the vehicle, which will go on display in Washington the next day.
The moon buggy won't be the first eye-catching NASA parade entry. The Apollo 7 capsule and crew were in the 1969 parade, the original lunar rover in 1973, a space agency float in 1977 and a space shuttle in 2001.
This will, however, be the first time a lunar rover has been in the parade before launch.
NASA spokesman David Mould told reporters the space agency is proud to be able to send the prototype to the presidential inauguration ceremony as other parades generally featured on shuttle crews or former astronauts.
This way, the nation can see the moon buggy first hand, either in person or on television.
The buggy, built at the Johnson Space Center as a prototype for the vehicle that will transport astronauts around the moon's surface when we return there in 2010, was shown off to the press here last fall.
Its cabin is pressurized, which will allow astronauts to move about inside it without wearing the cumbersome space suits needed on the lunar surface.
It's a rather strange looking 12-wheeled vehicle, but, what NASA feels may be just the ticket for smooth riding on the lunar surface.
So far, it has passed intricate trials, designed to test its prowess, in the Arizona desert.
STS-126 Commander Chris Ferguson and his crew -- Pilot Eric Boe and Mission Specialists Donald Petit, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn Piper, Steve Bowen, Shane Kimbrough, along with Expedition 18 Flight Engineer Greg Chamitoff -- will accompany the lunar rover in the parade after President-elect Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th president on the steps of the Capitol.
Astronaut Michael Gernhardt will drive the vehicle, which will go on display in Washington the next day.
The moon buggy won't be the first eye-catching NASA parade entry. The Apollo 7 capsule and crew were in the 1969 parade, the original lunar rover in 1973, a space agency float in 1977 and a space shuttle in 2001.
This will, however, be the first time a lunar rover has been in the parade before launch.
NASA spokesman David Mould told reporters the space agency is proud to be able to send the prototype to the presidential inauguration ceremony as other parades generally featured on shuttle crews or former astronauts.
This way, the nation can see the moon buggy first hand, either in person or on television.
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