The Moon Buggy, the First Extraterrial Car

The Lunar Rover is one of the most memorable visuals from the Apollo space program. It came along when the launches were becoming routine and definitely grabbed more interest.


All told, the lunar rovers covered dozens of kilometers on the surface of the moon. They enabled the astronauts to investigate geologic formations that otherwise could not have been reached.


The Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) was a battery-powered four-wheeled rover used on the Moon during the last three missions of the American Apollo program (15, 16, and 17) during 1971 and 1972. The LRV could carry one or two astronauts, their equipment, and lunar samples.


There have been other lunar rovers, such as the Soviet rovers in the Lunokhod series of exploration vehicles. However, they all have been unmanned. The only manned rovers were in the Apollo program. They remain on the moon, presumably still functional as there is no rust or any other source of metal deterioration in an airless environment. With new batteries, they should all start right up.

An early prototype of the Lunar Rover from 1965. Photo courtesy (NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center).

The Apollo 17 lunar rover on the Moon, December 11, 1972. Behind it is the South Massif. Astronaut footprints are visible in the foreground.

Original Concept Art for the Lunar Rover

2019