Northrop Grumman throws hat in the ring to design NASA's next-gen Lunar Terrain Vehicle

Northrop Grumman has assembled a team to come up with a design for a new Lunar Rover. There remain three Lunar Roving Vehicles on the Moon, all low mileage with just a few careful drivers to their name, however, it is coming up for half a century since the last one turned a wheel. NASA plans to return astronauts to the lunar …

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

recreated in Lego form

Fake news - this is a model from the original filming set

[zuckzuckgo]

Re: recreated in Lego form

Maybe they should just send up the appropriate Lego set with each moon launch. Returning missions can combine the sets to make even more impressive vehicles. With a 3d printer they could make the "out of stock" pieces onsite.

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: recreated in Lego form

Or they could send up the LEGO sets instead - it would be much cheaper

These are very small but those are a long way away.......

[David 132]

Re: recreated in Lego form

Upvoted if only for the Father Ted reference.

Mind you, I remember the glory days of this site when there would be proper Playmobil recreations in articles. It's gone to the dogs since the time of Lester (RIP), I tells ya.

[Chris G]

I would have thought Bezos would be in with a chance for a Lunar rover.

According to reports, Amazon has experience driving over almost anything..... flower beds, children's bicycles, house signs, fences.......

[James O'Shea]

Elon has the experience driving a battery-powered vehicle over obstacles. Pick him.

Oh. Wait. He lost the contract as a whole. Pity.

[Dom 3]

"just a few careful drivers to their name" ? One per vehicle, the CDR. Of which, Dave Scott not available? He drove the thing - Schmitt and Duke were passengers / navigators.

[Doctor Syntax]

But the passenger always knows better than the driver.

[Anonymous Coward]

Navigators? You mean back-seat drivers...

Not sure about the US, but in the UK, we call them back-seat drivers, not navigators.

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: Navigators? You mean back-seat drivers...

In the USA I think they are rear-gunners

[StephenTompsett]

Careful Drivers?

There was at least one 'Fender Bender' - repaired with document covers and duct tape I think....

[ravenviz]

Re: Careful Drivers?

Duct tape in spaaaaace!

[Binraider]

Re: Careful Drivers?

Mission rules were never drive further than you could walk back. One of the weirdest and best features in GT5 or 6 were the moon driving missions.

[John Jennings]

Re: Careful Drivers?

That was pretty much my first car experience too......

[adam 40]

Northrop Grumman eh?

So what sort of armaments does it have? A few miniguns and maybe some wire-guided missiles?

[Paul Kinsler]

Re: Northrop Grumman eh?

I believe Northrop Grumman made the original lunar lander.

[Raphael]

don't they have a good one

There was a Top Gear while the trio were still hosting where James May test drove a lunar rover

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQFdEB8jARY

[Big_Boomer]

Re: don't they have a good one

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/big-reads/top-gear-drives-nasas-lunar-electric-rover

But I am sure that won't stop them spending $$$$ to develop a new one. After all, there are all those Senators and CongressPeople to persuade to approve the NASA budget.

[Aristotles slow and dimwitted horse]

Disappointed.

Northrop have no chance. I've spent a huge amount of minutes (3 of them actually) on my submission which is keenly and somewhat cunningly based on only slight modifications to my Mazda CX5. Yes, there may be a few further problems to overcome but we'll sort those out during the (very) Agile testing phase.

After being in a cramped capsule I'm sure the astronauts will welcome the heated leather seats, the electric windows and the large boot space for carrying explory type space stuff.

[phuzz]

Re: Disappointed.

Of course, it will need air for the engine to work, but you could just put the whole thing in a giant transparent hamster ball, and roll all over the moon. Simples!

[MyffyW]

Fail Fast

@aristotles_donkey I wish you well with that very Agile testing phase. I went through something similar in my late teens.

[MJI]

GM - no chance, Peugeot instead?

As they sell off all of their car factories there will be very little left.

Or do they mean Peugeot?

They now own Elsmere Port and Russelheim.

[SweDe]

Name That Rover

Let's give a name. That will make it real, right? Rovey McRoverFace

[Platinum blond(e)]

21st century problem now

How soon before Uber and Lyft place ads for drivers to man the existing rovers and provide ETAs to the new lunar landing sites? Transport to rover sites provided by SpaceX.

Note: The autonomous rovers will likely beat the drivers to the rendezvous site(s).