In a lonely part of southern Colorado between Rye and Walsenburg, the most off-road-looking, off-road vehicle maneuvers past craters, rolls over dirt mounds and kicks up a little dust as it drives in a location so obscure that even Google Maps has trouble finding it.
But there it was and similar to an early artist rendering: the Lunar Outpost Eagle. Or at least it was a prototype of the autonomous lunar terrain vehicle that may be on the moon by the end of the decade for astronauts to scoot around up there.
Two iterations of the solar-powered Eagle roamed the family ranch of Lunar Outpost founder Justin Cyrus, who invited TV cameras, journalists and other media to take a peek last week at what the Golden-based space company has been up to for the past few years.
Normally, few humans are wandering around the property. The cattle were moved out of sight. Cyrus warned that other wildlife could wander into the path. “Watch out for rattlesnakes,” he told the humans. “If you hear a rattle, make sure you stop, evaluate the situation and then go the other way.”
If all goes Lunar Outpost’s way, NASA will award the Lunar Dawn team — which includes partners Goodyear, GM, MDA Space and Leidos — a service contract for the lunar terrain vehicle, or LTV.
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