The HPT leader, Pascal Lee (and his dog, Ping Pong) led our team out on a four hour traverse today on all-terrain vehicles. We explored a section of the Haughton crater rim and also visited some of the Columbia Astronaut Memorials.
Pascal posited and I agreed, that this seems an ideal way for astronauts to explore the Moon and Mars. Instead of creating one or two complicated and large rovers, which may break down and force the astronauts to walk back to base (which severely limits the operational range of the rover), why not create a fleet of small ATV's for exploration? Each ATV would be capable of carrying two suited astronauts, in the event that one or more of the ATV's failed. Moreover, the ATV's would be more agile, flexible and faster than a large rover. More exploration could be accomplished and EVA time would be used very efficiently.
Leroy Chiao
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