Nasa’s Space Exploration Vehicle (SEV) arrived in Houston from NASA Clear Lake a few days ago to be displayed at Discovery Green for the Super Bowl. Will these vehicles be space classics some day?
KHOU’s Air 11 in Houston caught aerial photo’s of the alien looking vehicle while traveling the Houston freeway. Watching it unload at it’s destination could only make one imagine that it was being unloaded in the surface of Mars. Carl Sagan would be proud.
The surface exploration version of the SEV has the cabin mounted on a chassis, with wheels that can pivot 360 degrees and drive about 10 kilometers per hour in any direction. It’s about the size of a pickup truck (with 12 wheels) and can house two astronauts for up to 14 days with sleeping and sanitary facilities. Likewise, the in-space version of the SEV would have the same pressurized cabin on a flying platform; it too would allow two astronauts to stay on-site for 14 days.
The surface SEV is designed to require little or no maintenance, be able to travel thousands of miles climbing over rocks and up 40 degree slopes during its ten year life. The vehicle frame was developed in conjunction with an off-road race truck team and was field tested in the desert Southwest with 140 km of driving on rough lava.
Check out Channel 11 KHOU’s story
Aerial Photo’s Courtesy of KHOU Channel 11 Houston
Other Photo’s Courtesy of: NASA
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