Sept. 3 (UPI) — NASA said Wednesday the “next era” of lunar exploration demands a new kind of wheel as the space agency unveiled its “Rock and Roll” challenge.
The so-called “Rock and Roll with NASA” challenge seeks a clever inventor or team to design and create for NASA a special wheel that can, NASA said: “sprint across razor-sharp regolith, shrug off extremely cold nights and keep a rover rolling day after lunar day.”
“Whether you’re a student team, a garage inventor, or a seasoned aerospace firm, this is your opportunity to rewrite the playbook of planetary mobility and leave tread marks on the future of exploration,” officials at NASA said in a release.
The space agency added that an ultimately successfully idea could possibly “set the pace” for future surface missions.
Ideally, the wheel design would be a “lightweight, compliant wheel that stays tough at higher speeds while carrying lots of cargo,” NASA said.
The three-phase challenge starts by rewarding the best concepts and analyses and funding for prototypes in the second phase.
By phase three, the best wheels will be put through a live NASA obstacle course simulating lunar terrain at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Aside from the engineering glory, NASA’s contest also will award $155,000 in total prizes.
The open date for the phase one enrollment closes November 4, with phase two and three dates extending through next year.
“Follow the challenge, assemble your crew and roll out a solution that takes humanity back to the moon,” NASA officials added on Wednesday.