NASA Lunar Rover
Assemble me. Let's go four-wheeling on the Moon!
Two things about our species: people love to explore, and people love cars! After Neil Armstrong first set foot on the Moon (Apollo 11, July 21, 1969) it was only two short years before NASA sent a car with astronauts David Scott and James Irwin (Apollo 15, July 31, 1971) so they could drive, not walk, around the lunar surface. The most scientifically interesting moon rocks would not have been collected without the greater range of exploration permitted by the LRV ("Lunar Roving Vehicle"). The LRV was an impressive piece of engineering, having to bear twice its 209 kg weight, withstand micrometeoroids traveling faster than bullets, and reliably operate in 500° F temperature swings. To this day, three LRVs remain in long-term parking on the lunar surface.
Ugears celebrates our collective love affair with cars and exploration with the NASA Lunar Rover, an amazing model "moon buggy" that closely resembles the LRV in its design. This spring-driven 1:15 scale wooden model features rotating and pivoting wheels, a dish antenna, front-mounted camera, and a sophisticated mechanism for folding the rover into a more compact form for transport on a rocket ship, just like the original. A hidden key located underneath the chassis is used to wind the ratchet mechanism, while a Start/Stop switch allows you to wind then release your Rover to travel distances up to 3 met
