Michelin, NASA take Tweel to the moon

ERJ staff report (DS)

Houston, Texas -- Michelin is supplying an adaptation of its Tweel idea for NASA's next generation of moon rover vehicles.

Made of patented composite materials, the structurally supported tyre/wheel assembly was jointly developed by Michelin's European and North American research centres. Michelin said the system will help meet NASA's mobility needs for manned and unmanned missions to the moon over the next decade.

The Michelin Lunar Wheel underwent testing in Hawaii from October 31 to November 13, 2008 as part of NASA's lunar analogue testing and evaluation program. The terrain, rock distribution and soil composition of Hawaii's Big Island provide a high-quality simulation of the lunar polar region.