The Mars Rover Concept Vehicle is eye catching art with the imprimatur of space exploration. But does the art in a design like this make a mockery of design? It seems to discard the facts that there is virtually no atmosphere on Mars and the planet's gravitational pull is only 1/3 that of earth’s. Therefore, aerodynamics and center of gravity issues are not too important. The dominant issues are safety and transporting costs to Mars.
Why the swept back windshield? Why not have a more cubic form to ease storage and enhance visibility? Won’t rocks get wedged into the wheel slots? Do the occupants want to see the sky or do they want to collect solar energy? Why the giant steering yoke? Do they want to ensure they don’t hang up the vehicle or do they want to look cool?
Human space travel is inspiring, which has a cultural value. However, it unnecessarily endangers people and wastes money that could be used on real space exploration. Adding this ostentatious hipness to space travel further denigrates it value – even in a concept vehicle that intends to inspire. Won’t some of the clever kids say, “Why is it shaped like a Hot Wheels car?”
We wish to be surrounded by beautiful things. Our aesthetic desires have real value and can be satisfied in design. However, there is a space for the ugly and purely mechanistic. Things that cost millions of dollars per kilogram to transport are one of them.
