This is a spare wheel from a lunar roving vehicle (LRV). The LRV was deployed on the moon during Apollo 15, 16 and 17. The tire is made of a woven mesh of zinc-coated piano wire to which titanium treads were riveted in a chevron pattern. This pattern kept the wheels from sinking into the soft lunar soil. The lunar soil proved harder than expected and the wheel treads left tracks about half an inch deep.
Transferred to the National Air and Space Museum from the Alabama Space and Rocket Center in 1975.
Display Status
This object is on display in Destination Moon at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.
Object Details
Country of Origin
United States of America
Type
SPACECRAFT-Crewed-Parts & Structural Components
Manufacturer
Boeing Aerospace
Dimensions
3-D (Wheel): 24 × 80cm (9 7/16 × 31 1/2 in.)
3-D (Fender): 79 × 27 × 45cm (31 1/8 × 10 5/8 × 17 11/16 in.)
Materials
Wheel: Zinc coated steel piano wire; titanium treads
Fender: Epoxy-impregnated fiberglass
Aluminum
Steel
Resin
Rubber
Inventory Number
A19750830000
Credit Line
Transferred from the Alabama Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville, Ala.
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.
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National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC
On View Exhibition