We can be sure that there will be different vehicles for us to use besides the SRV Scarab that we currently have. I've stated my idea in the past that I think an aerostat vehicle for use in exploring gas giant environments would be a great addition.
This post is not about that idea.
This post is about another idea I have that more than anything will add flavor to the act of exploration on other planets. It is this:
A robot horse.
Think about it. The horse has been the tried and true method of human transportation in the frontiers of our worlds since there were frontiers to explore. The horse doesn't have wheels, tires to go flat. The horse has its own eyes and senses and navigates uneven terrain with relative ease. The horse is familiar, and because of our very long symbiotic relationship with this animal it is essentially human. The horse is part of our very identity.
A robot horse as a future answer to the classic flesh and blood horse would be ideal. It could cope with low G environments, come installed with all relevant data interfaces such as the scanner and jump function. It could allow the rider (clad in a space suit instead of inside that SRV cockpit bubble) more freedom of movement to look around and interact with the environment. Perhaps even draw a weapon...
In closing, I leave you this.
[video=youtube_share;sa6evJIBAVo]https://youtu.be/sa6evJIBAVo[/video]
This post is not about that idea.
This post is about another idea I have that more than anything will add flavor to the act of exploration on other planets. It is this:
A robot horse.
Think about it. The horse has been the tried and true method of human transportation in the frontiers of our worlds since there were frontiers to explore. The horse doesn't have wheels, tires to go flat. The horse has its own eyes and senses and navigates uneven terrain with relative ease. The horse is familiar, and because of our very long symbiotic relationship with this animal it is essentially human. The horse is part of our very identity.
A robot horse as a future answer to the classic flesh and blood horse would be ideal. It could cope with low G environments, come installed with all relevant data interfaces such as the scanner and jump function. It could allow the rider (clad in a space suit instead of inside that SRV cockpit bubble) more freedom of movement to look around and interact with the environment. Perhaps even draw a weapon...
In closing, I leave you this.
[video=youtube_share;sa6evJIBAVo]https://youtu.be/sa6evJIBAVo[/video]
