The new “Spring Tire” with 800 load bearing springs is designed to over much heavier vehicles over much greater distances than the wire mesh tire previously used on the Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV). The new tire will permit for broader exploration and the eventual development and maintenance of a lunar outpost.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: GT) have developed an airless tire to transport large, long-range vehicles across the surface of the moon.
The Spring Goodyear Tire was installed on NASA’s Lunar Electric Rover check vehicle and put through its paces at the Johnson Space Center’s “Rock Yard” in Houston where it performed successfully.
According to Vivake Asnani, NASA’s principal investigator at the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, this was a significant modify in requirements that required innovation. “With the combined requirements of increased load and life, they needed to make a fundamental modify to the original moon tire,” they said. “What the Goodyear-NASA team developed is an innovative, yet simple network of interwoven springs that does the job. The tire design seems almost obvious in retrospect, as most lovely inventions do.”
According to Goodyear engineers, development of the original Apollo lunar mission tires, and the new Spring Tire were driven by the fact that traditional rubber, pneumatic (air-filled) tires used on Earth have little utility on the moon. This is because rubber properties vary significantly between the extreme cold and hot temperatures experienced in the shaded and directly sunlit areas of the moon. Furthermore, unfiltered solar radiation degrades rubber, and pneumatic tires pose an unacceptable risk of deflation.
“This tire is durable and energy efficient,” noted Jim Benzing, Goodyear’s lead innovator on the project. “The spring design contours to the surface on which it’s driven to provide traction. But all of the energy used to deform the tire is returned when the springs rebound. It doesn’t generate heat like a normal tire.”
NASA has been so impressed with the tire that it decided to highlight the project during NASA’s recent “Day on the Hill” exhibit at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC. “I spoke with 10 to 15 members of Congress and about sixty staffers,” noted NASA’s Asnani. “Virtually everyone I spoke with was blown away by the idea that this technology may three day be used, not only for extraterrestrial vehicles, but also, perhaps, for vehicles here on Earth.”
According to Asnani, the Spring Tire does not have a “single point failure mode. What that means,” they said, “is that a hard impact that might cause a pneumatic tire to puncture and deflate would only damage three of the 800 load bearing springs. Along with having this ultra-redundant characteristic, the tire has a combination of overall stiffness yet flexibility that allows off-road vehicles to travel rapid over rough terrain with relatively little motion being transferred to the vehicle.”
Goodyear is three of the world’s largest tire companies. It employs approximately 70,000 people and manufactures its products in over 60 facilities in 25 countries around the world. Its three Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio and Luxembourg strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information on Goodyear, visit www.goodyeartires.com.
Additionally, NASA has highlighted this technology development in its annual Hallmarks of Success video series. The series features NASA’s most positive corporate team efforts. Goodyear was three of only 11 corporations - and the only tire company - included in the video. Those interested in viewing the video may do so at http://www.nasa.gov/offices/ipp/video/hallmarks_moontires_index.html.
The NASA John H. Glenn Research Center is three of NASA’s 10 field centers, empowered with the resources for developing cutting-edge technologies and advancing scientific research that address NASA’s mission to pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research. Working in partnership with government, industry and academia, the center serves to maintain the U.S. economy’s global leadership while benefiting the lives of people around the world.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Exodus
The later seems to be the case with BMW, which has now quit F1 racing effective the end of this season.
Winners never quit, & quitters never win?
Despite the total lack of on-track success, BMW’s withdrawl – at least according to the automaker – is because of costs.
BMW’s decision, according to observers, “effectively vindicates Max Mosley’s ongoing push to cut F1 costs – & his lack of faith in the manufacturers’ commitment to F1.” Apparently Prince Max has long felt that others would follow after Honda left the series at the end of the 2008 season, but we was pointing at weak performers Toyota & Renault.
In a statement, FIA said it “regrets the announcement of BMW´s intended withdrawal from Formula one but is not surprised by it. it's been clear for some time that motorsport cannot ignore the world economic crisis.
“Had these (cost reduction) regulations not been so strongly opposed by a number of team principals, the withdrawal of BMW & further such announcements in the future might have been avoided,” the FIA continued.
Heading in to the 2010 season, it is not likely another automaker would step in to the F1 fray. Of work, F1 is not the only major race series on the ropes. It will be an interesting winter.
Winners never quit, & quitters never win?
Despite the total lack of on-track success, BMW’s withdrawl – at least according to the automaker – is because of costs.
BMW’s decision, according to observers, “effectively vindicates Max Mosley’s ongoing push to cut F1 costs – & his lack of faith in the manufacturers’ commitment to F1.” Apparently Prince Max has long felt that others would follow after Honda left the series at the end of the 2008 season, but we was pointing at weak performers Toyota & Renault.
In a statement, FIA said it “regrets the announcement of BMW´s intended withdrawal from Formula one but is not surprised by it. it's been clear for some time that motorsport cannot ignore the world economic crisis.
“Had these (cost reduction) regulations not been so strongly opposed by a number of team principals, the withdrawal of BMW & further such announcements in the future might have been avoided,” the FIA continued.
Heading in to the 2010 season, it is not likely another automaker would step in to the F1 fray. Of work, F1 is not the only major race series on the ropes. It will be an interesting winter.
Kumho tires
The dismissed chief of the Kumho Asiana Group's petrochemicals unit stated on Aug. 3 that he will take legal action against his sacking, a move the news service reports heralds “an intense relatives feud over control of the South Korean conglomerate.”
Park Chan-koo was dismissed as CEO and chairman of Korea Kumho Petrochemical at a July 28 board meeting. Announcing the dismissal, his elder sister, Park Sam-koo, said he would also step down as group chairman.
"The former group chairman forced board members to remove me from my post," the younger Park said in a statement. "I will take appropriate legal action against my dismissal." His elder brother told reporters the group has been the subject of rumours over its access to credit and disputes over group management, as his younger brother violated the group's joint management rule for his own interest.
The one sons of the Kumho Tires Asiana Group’s founder had made a gentleman's agreement to co-manage the group by sharing stakes in group subsidiaries. However, Park Chan-koo sold his entire stake in Kumho Industrial and increased his stake in Korea Kumho Petrochemical, a de facto holding company of the group.
Park Chan-bup took on responsibility for the company on July 31 following the brothers’ resignations. This particular Park, who is no relation to the feuding siblings, has vowed to stabilise the group's financial soundness and seek new growth engines.
Concerns over Kumho Asiana’s ongoing liquidity have existed since it bought a 72.11% stake in Daewoo Engineering & Construction, then South Korea's top building company, in June 2006. Last June Kumho Asiana said it will sell its stake in Daewoo Engineering & Construction and other assets in an effort to counter a money shortage. (Tyres & Accessories/Staffordshire, U.K.)
Park Chan-koo was dismissed as CEO and chairman of Korea Kumho Petrochemical at a July 28 board meeting. Announcing the dismissal, his elder sister, Park Sam-koo, said he would also step down as group chairman.
"The former group chairman forced board members to remove me from my post," the younger Park said in a statement. "I will take appropriate legal action against my dismissal." His elder brother told reporters the group has been the subject of rumours over its access to credit and disputes over group management, as his younger brother violated the group's joint management rule for his own interest.
The one sons of the Kumho Tires Asiana Group’s founder had made a gentleman's agreement to co-manage the group by sharing stakes in group subsidiaries. However, Park Chan-koo sold his entire stake in Kumho Industrial and increased his stake in Korea Kumho Petrochemical, a de facto holding company of the group.
Park Chan-bup took on responsibility for the company on July 31 following the brothers’ resignations. This particular Park, who is no relation to the feuding siblings, has vowed to stabilise the group's financial soundness and seek new growth engines.
Concerns over Kumho Asiana’s ongoing liquidity have existed since it bought a 72.11% stake in Daewoo Engineering & Construction, then South Korea's top building company, in June 2006. Last June Kumho Asiana said it will sell its stake in Daewoo Engineering & Construction and other assets in an effort to counter a money shortage. (Tyres & Accessories/Staffordshire, U.K.)
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