I adore this old NASA technical model of the Moon Prospector.
I particularly like the very long thin booms and the vehicle's overall flatness and sleekness, which I don't think any of the many eventual chunkier toy versions really captured.
I assume the device on the wheel was simply to allow the model to be stood up for display purposes as shown above. Would you agree?
I suspect the 'liqourice allsort' device on the wheel is a self righting device, propably a gas filled cylinder, designed to kick the vehicle back over onto its belly in the event of a bad landing. The two booms would fold up over the central cone,so it would naturally be landed on its flat bottom, but there might be instances when it would need a little help getting up again !
ReplyDeleteInteresting. So you really don't think its just for standing the model up on display?
DeleteI doubt it. Its part of the vehicle itself, and as its just placed on a table, it wouldnt require dedicated parts to stand it up, plus it should just rest on the wheel anyway.
ReplyDeleteYes, I see what you mean about standing on the wheel anyway.
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