NASA Prepares Tyres for Moon and Mars Missions

NASA plans to return to the Moon after 50 years. After that, it wants to explore Mars. To do this, engineers must redesign tyres from scratch. After all, “One thing you cannot have is a puncture,” said Florent Menegaux, CEO of French tyre company Michelin. “If you get a flat on Mars, it’s a long way back.”

Mars Rovers Faced Harsh Damage

For example, the Curiosity rover landed on Mars in 2012. Just one year later, its aluminium wheels had cuts and holes. This showed how rough the Martian terrain really is.

Artemis Missions Will Travel Far

Now, NASA’s Artemis missions aim to send astronauts to the Moon again by 2027. Later missions like Artemis V, expected in 2030, plan to explore the Moon’s south pole using new rovers.

Unlike the Apollo missions, where rovers only travelled around 40 km, these new vehicles will go much farther. Sylvain Barthet from Michelin explained, “The target is to cover 10,000 kilometres in 10 years.”

NASA Wants Long-Lasting Tyres

Importantly, NASA wants rovers that work for years—not just days. As Dr Santo Padula, a NASA engineer, said, “We’re not talking about short, week-long durations, we’re talking about decades of utilisation.”

Extreme Cold Causes Problems

However, building tyres for space isn’t easy. For instance, the Moon’s poles can get colder than -230°C. That’s almost as cold as absolute zero, where atoms stop moving.

This affects how tyres work. “Without atom motion you have a hard time having the material be able to deform and return,” said Dr Padula. In other words, tyres need to bend over rocks and bounce back. If they don’t, “it doesn’t roll efficiently, and we have issues with power loss.”

Rovers Will Be Bigger and Heavier

In addition, the next generation of rovers will carry more weight. They’ll transport science equipment and mobile habitats. On Mars, this is even more difficult because its gravity is twice as strong as the Moon’s.

Rubber Can’t Survive in Space

Earlier, the Apollo rovers used wire-mesh tyres made of zinc-coated piano wire. But now, rubber is no longer an option. It breaks down in space due to extreme heat and cosmic rays.

So, what materials can work? According to Pietro Baglion of the European Space Agency (ESA), “In general, metallic or carbon fibre-based materials are used for these wheels.”

Nitinol: A Smart Metal Option

One strong option is nitinol, a mix of nickel and titanium. It behaves like rubber but is made of metal. Earl Patrick Cole, CEO of The Smart Tire Company, explained, “Fuse these and it makes a rubber-acting metal that can bend all these different ways, and it will always stretch back to its original shape.” He called it “one of the craziest things you will ever see.”

Even more, Dr Padula called nitinol “revolutionary.” He said it can store and release energy when it changes shape. It might even help with future heating and cooling systems.

Other Tyre Designs Also Show Promise

Meanwhile, Michelin supports using high-performance plastic for Moon tyres. On the other hand, Bridgestone is using an approach inspired by camel feet. Camels have wide, soft pads that spread their weight across sand.

Likewise, Bridgestone’s tyre design uses metal spokes and a felt-like tread. This spreads the vehicle’s weight and helps it move across dusty, rocky surfaces without sinking.

Testing Happens on Earth-Like Terrain

At the same time, these companies are testing their ideas. Michelin is running trials on a French volcano, which has soil similar to the Moon’s. Bridgestone is testing in the Tottori Sand Dunes in Japan.

They, along with Venturi Astrolab from California, are sharing their designs with NASA this month at the John Glenn Research Center.

Eventually, NASA will choose one design—or combine the best parts of several—later this year.

Space Tyres Could Help Earth Too

Interestingly, this research may also benefit Earth. While studying at the University of Southern California, Dr Cole joined a NASA programme to turn rover tyre tech into commercial products.

This year, his company will launch nickel-titanium bicycle tyres. They’ll cost around $150 each. While pricey, they will last much longer than normal tyres.

Next, he plans to create durable motorbike tyres for rough roads. Still, his biggest dream is space. “So, I can tell my kids, look up there on the Moon,” he said. “Daddy’s tyres are up there.”