Washington Business Fall 2019 | Washington Business | Page 38

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Moon Buggy
How much does Washington love the aerospace industry?
Frankly, to the moon and back.
Lori Maricle
NASA has been building and testing technology that is (literally) out of this world in
Washington for over 50 years. This inspirational genius and creative technology has
brought immeasurable benefits to our communities and statewide economy.
Perhaps one of the most familiar astronaut accessories, just behind the white spacesuit and giant Saturn V rocket,
is the lunar rover.
And it was built right here in Washington.
The original concept and design for the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), also known as a moon rover or “moon
buggy,” came from U.S.-based German rocket scientist Dr. Georg von Tiesenhausen. He was part of NASA’s moon
rocket team and made significant contributions to the early space program that included the moon buggy and
the conception and design for the mobile launch facilities for the Saturn V, the rocket responsible for launching
humans to the moon.
NASA sent the moon rover design to Boeing in 1969. The wheels, motors and suspension were manufactured
in Santa Barbara, Calif., at General Motors’ Defense Research Laboratory. The electronics and navigation system
were furnished by Boeing in Seattle, and the chassis manufacturing and overall assembly was completed at the
Boeing facility in Huntsville, Ala. The rover was then tested at the Boeing facility in Kent.
38 association of washington business