Despite NASA’s manned space exploration being in a state of flux, there’s still a lot of innovative ideas for future manned expeditions to Mars. From new concepts for interplanetary rockets to the next generation of unmanned reconnaissance robots, we are certainly well on our way to acquiring the technologies necessary to land an astronaut on Mars.
But once we’re there, how will we get around? Mars is a big place — it has approximately the same amount of land to explore as Earth — so it would be nice if we traveled in style.
So why not travel in award-winning style?
An Illinois-based design consulting firm decided to take on this challenge, designing a manned Mars rover, winning the “Good Design Award” in the transportation category from The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design last month. They were in good company; Good Design Awards also went to Mercedes for their SLR Coupe and Apple for the iPod touch.