It’s no secret that NASA had a pretty big involvement in the development of the science behind Ridley Scott’s The Martian, and it’s even test driving SEV. Guests were able to travel around a Mars Yard, modeled to look like the badlands of Mars, and it’s the home of the NASA SEV manned rover program.
NASA Mars Yard is Used to Test Mars and Other Space Rovers
NASA’s Mars Yard, one of which is in NASA’s Johnson Space Center and another located in Pasadena at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Lab, serve as a test track for prototypes of space rovers. Some notable figures to train in the terrain are Spirit, Opportunity, Pathfinder and Curiosity, and most recently, SEV.
The latest rover, the SEV, even offered members of the community a drive around. The rover is 14.7 feet long and 10 feet tall, weighing 6,600 pounds. It’s basic look is sort of instect-like, sporting 6 wheels. The buggy look is a quality that a lot of space rovers have because of their build. The rover’s wheels can turn 360 degrees, allowing for free movement. It can reach speeds of up to 12mph, even going up slopes of up to 40 degrees while sitting two comfortably.
Does Roscosmos Have A Similar Play Field?
The fact that NASA has two playgrounds like this really put it at a different level. There haven’t been such reviews of rover fields from Roscosmos or the European Space Agency, who are planning on sending a crew to the dark side of the moon by 2018. The Russian space agency has even claimed that they will be training monkeys to go to space in preparation, which has been received with very mixed criticism.
CNSA, on the same vein, has brought little insight onto the more exciting part of space exploration. NASA has always been considered a more reliable source of information, studies and data, and it’s a lot more popular with the media.
NASA is Trendy, Roscosmos and NCAS Aren’t Yet
In western culture, NASA is the only relevant space news source. They’ve certainly built gears to be #1 on social media, posting amazing photos courtesy of their staff at ISS and their countless points of connection around the world. The West sees space through the eyes of NASA, and it’s even gotten involved in the arts. NASA was the main source of research for the science behind The Martian, and it will likely continue to consult with other relevant productions in the future.
The American Space Agency Is Even Courting Hollywood
While Roscosmos and CNAS focus on a more secretive kind of research, NASA has always been mindful of rising the curiosity of the public with its projects. They claim that if the public doesn’t care about a cause, it’ll directly affect funding, and NASA is already struggling as is. In addition, a lot of the excitement of space exploration comes from the public.
The Mystery Gives People Curiosity, Too
One thing worth mentioning about Roscosmos, CNAS and even the European Space Agency is that the fact that they only release news when it is strictly necessary could be giving people even more curiosity. What’s going on behind closed doors? Russians have always been notorious for having super advanced technology in terms of weapons and rocket building. A lot of things could be kept under wraps, and the West has always loved a good conspiracy theory.
The Dark Side of the Moon Exploration Might Be More Important than it Seems
Soon enough, the truth comes out. We can only hope that when the time is right and the public is ready, these space agencies will let out their own piece of big news. The biggest scope we’ve heard by them this year is the LUNAR 17 mission, which is exciting in its own way, but it’d be great to get some more insight, and perhaps we can discover new things about the moon that we couldn’t even imagine before.
