Stephen Colbert Takes A Spin In The Mars Rover Concept

BY Michael Gauthier | Posted on

NASA unveiled the Mars Rover concept at the Kennedy Space Center last summer and now the agency has given comedian Stephen Colbert a chance to drive it around New York City.

Since Colbert isn’t exactly a rocket scientist, he settled for the next best thing – astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. The duo then take off as Tyson estimates they hit speeds of approximately 3 mph (4.8 km/h) much to the chagrin of Colbert.

After encountering a jaywalker and making a quick shopping trip, the pair decide to test out the rover’s distinctive tires which have been envisioned to operate on Martian soil. This doesn’t go particularly well as the rover simply crushes a carton of eggs.

While the clip is more focused on entertainment than information, the rover was made Parker Brothers Concepts with input from NASA engineers. As a result, it’s simply just a mock up of what a potential Mars rover could look like.

At the model’s unveiling, NASA said the concept weighed 6,000 pound (2,721 kg) and had enough room to carry four people. The model also features an off-road focused suspension and massive 50-inch tires.

NASA claimed the concept was capable of hitting speeds of up to 70 mph (112 km/h), but said the vehicle would typically only travel between 10-15 mph (16-24 km/h) on the red plant. Even that lowly figure is faster than the Lunar Roving Vehicle which reportedly topped out at 11.2 mph (18.0 km/h).

 

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