The surface of the Moon is covered with a thick layer of regolith dust known for its notorious physical properties. The conventional wheels perform poorly here, plus the highly abrasive dust reduces the overall reliability of the rider’s chassis. Another thing – large temperature changes negatively impact air-filled tires, causing them to deflate at night and potentially inflate to their bursting limit during the day. Last important thing: intense solar radiation degrades any rubber parts.
Goodyear is no newcomer to the field: the company helped develop tires for NASA’s original Lunar Vehicles used to travel on the Moon in the early 1970s. , three moon cars are still there with the front generation tires made from wire mesh.
However, the first mobile cars were made for single use. The current generation of lunar carriers must meet the criteria for reusability, which also applies to tires. Furthermore, these new models will be capable of autonomous operation, and that is why their maintenance needs should be kept to a minimum.
