Where are the tire tracks?

[nimbus]

<span style="word-spacing:0px;font:10pxVerdana;text-transform:none;color:#000000;text-indent:0px;white-space:normal;letter-spacing:normal;border-collapse:separate;orphans:2;widows:2;-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing:0px;-webkit-border-vertical-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect:none;-webkit-text-size-adjust:auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0" class="Apple-style-span"><span style="word-spacing:0px;font:16px'TimesNewRoman';text-transform:none;color:#000000;text-indent:0px;white-space:normal;letter-spacing:normal;border-collapse:separate;orphans:2;widows:2;-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing:0px;-webkit-border-vertical-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect:none;-webkit-text-size-adjust:auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0" class="Apple-style-span"><div style="font-size:10px;font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;background-color:#ffffff"><p>Foot prints are obvious, but where are the rover's tire tracks?</p></div></span></span> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[BoJangles]

Prease Exprain ? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p align="center"><font color="#808080">-------------- </font></p><p align="center"><font size="1" color="#808080"><em>Let me start out with the standard disclaimer ... I am an idiot, I know almost nothing, I haven’t taken calculus, I don’t work for NASA, and I am one-quarter Bulgarian sheep dog.  With that out of the way, I have several stupid questions... </em></font></p><p align="center"><font size="1" color="#808080"><em>*** A few months blogging can save a few hours in research ***</em></font></p> </div>

 

[nimbus]

How did it get there without leaving tire tracks? &nbsp;I suppose it could have had them erased by thrusters if they'd been used nearby, but I don't have time to start a search for these details from scratch. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[shuttle_guy]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>How did it get there without leaving tire tracks? &nbsp;I suppose it could have had them erased by thrusters if they'd been used nearby, but I don't have time to start a search for these details from scratch. <br />Posted by nimbus</DIV></p><p>What "it" ?</p><p>What are you talking about?</p><p>What tires?</p><p>What tracks?</p><p>Where???<br /></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[nimbus]

<p>I'm sorry, is the link not working? &nbsp;This is what I'm talking about:</p><p>&nbsp;http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Apollo_15_Lunar_Rover_final_resting_place_(cropped).jpg</p><p>The parenthesies break the hyperlink, so you'll have to copy and paste the URL text into your browser.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[BoJangles]

<p>Ahhh ok , i didn't know what to think there for a second. your link wasn't in your original post. well as far as i could see</p><p>As for the picture, it looks like it could have reversed back, or maybe that's the spot where they folded it out, though to tell you the truth, i shouldn't be answering as i have no idea </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p align="center"><font color="#808080">-------------- </font></p><p align="center"><font size="1" color="#808080"><em>Let me start out with the standard disclaimer ... I am an idiot, I know almost nothing, I haven’t taken calculus, I don’t work for NASA, and I am one-quarter Bulgarian sheep dog.  With that out of the way, I have several stupid questions... </em></font></p><p align="center"><font size="1" color="#808080"><em>*** A few months blogging can save a few hours in research ***</em></font></p> </div>

 

[JonClarke]

Hopw about a link to the original image rather than a cropped one? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[nimbus]

<p>I wouldnt know where to find it... I can see no tracks near the tires; it seemed enough to ask the question.&nbsp;</p><p>Would the steps taken to walk away from the rover, after parking it there, be enough to cover the rover's fresh tracks? By fresh I mean the packed aspect of moodust left by footprints.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[dragon04]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Foot prints are obvious, but where are the rover's tire tracks? <br /> Posted by nimbus</DIV></p><p>If you look carefully, you DO see tracks. Pay particular attention to the passenger side rear wheel. There is a discernable track leading off of the right side of the image.</p><p>In addition, you can also see track marks behind the front driver side wheel and a track in front of the driver side front wheel that curves in an arc that turns to the left with respect to the orientation of the vehicle.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>"2012.. Year of the Dragon!! Get on the Dragon Wagon!".</em> </div>

 

[SpeedFreek]

<p>If you look behind or in front of the front wheel there do not seem to be any tyre marks at all, but there <em>are</em> footprints. There seem to be tracks in the background, curving around, but they don't seem to join up with the wheels on the rover. The footprints look quite deep right next to the rover, but look less deep further away from the rover. The rover weighs 200 kg, but would weigh 1/6th of that on the Moon.</p><p>Conclusion: Rather than parking the rover there, they carried it over from where it came to a halt and put down in its final resting place.&nbsp; <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-wink.gif" border="0" alt="Wink" title="Wink" /> </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000">_______________________________________________<br /></font><font size="2"><em>SpeedFreek</em></font> </p> </div>

 

[nimbus]

<span style="word-spacing:0px;font:16px'TimesNewRoman';text-transform:none;color:#000000;text-indent:0px;white-space:normal;letter-spacing:normal;border-collapse:separate;orphans:2;widows:2;-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing:0px;-webkit-border-vertical-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect:none;-webkit-text-size-adjust:auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0" class="Apple-style-span"><div style="font-size:10px;font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;background-color:#ffffff"><p>Speedfreek, that could have been the answer, but apparently it was driven there:&nbsp;<span style="line-height:19px;font-family:'-webkit-sans-serif'" class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-style:italic" class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color:#000080" class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-size:x-small" class="Apple-style-span"><font size="1">"Scott then drove the Rover for the last time to a point 300 ft (90 m) from the LM so that it could observe the liftoff.&nbsp;"</font> &nbsp;&nbsp;<span style="color:#000000;line-height:normal;font-style:normal;font-family:Verdana" class="Apple-style-span"><font size="1">An uncropped copy of the same image: click here.<br /><br />Dragon - I'm not sure I see the tracks you mean.. Unless they're those very soft and wide shallow trenches? No&nbsp;tread marks&nbsp;in those..&nbsp;Would this be because of how little loading there was relatively to thesize of the tire contact patches? &nbsp;... That doesn't match what should be the same tracks left by the tires in this picture. Unless the ground on the first picture is different from that in the second.</font></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="line-height:19px;font-family:'-webkit-sans-serif'" class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-style:italic" class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color:#000080" class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-size:x-small" class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color:#000000;line-height:normal;font-style:normal;font-family:Verdana" class="Apple-style-span"><font size="1">And sorry for the totaly plucked formatting on my posts. I don't know what's causing it.</font></span></span></span></span></span></p></div></span> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[skeptic]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I wouldnt know where to find it... I can see no tracks near the tires; it seemed enough to ask the question.&nbsp;Would the steps taken to walk away from the rover, after parking it there, be enough to cover the rover's fresh tracks? By fresh I mean the packed aspect of moodust left by footprints. <br /> Posted by nimbus</DIV></p><p>The tires are not tires as we know them, but made out of a metal mesh. In other words they're full of holes.&nbsp; As the wheels turn, they throw up a lot of dust.&nbsp; That dust is probably what partially erases the tracks. </p>

 

[michaelmozina]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>The tires are not tires as we know them, but made out of a metal mesh. In other words they're full of holes.&nbsp; As the wheels turn, they throw up a lot of dust.&nbsp; That dust is probably what partially erases the tracks. <br /> Posted by skeptic</DIV></p><p>http://www.wksu.org/news/story/22787</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> It seems to be a natural consequence of our points of view to assume that the whole of space is filled with electrons and flying electric ions of all kinds. - Kristian Birkeland </div>

 

[kelvinzero]

<p>Here is the uncropped image (if someone hasnt already added it)</p><p>http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apollo_15_Lunar_Rover_final_resting_place.jpg</p><p>It seems really obvious to me in the UNCROPPED version that yes, it backed into its position and that the tire tracks are much less obvious than the boot prints, sort of like rolling a beachball.</p><p>(I found this using a google image search for 'nasa moon rover')</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

 

[emperor_of_localgroup]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Here is the uncropped image (if someone hasnt already added it)http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apollo_15_Lunar_Rover_final_resting_place.jpgIt seems really obvious to me in the UNCROPPED version that yes, it backed into its position and that the tire tracks are much less obvious than the boot prints, sort of like rolling a beachball.(I found this using a google image search for 'nasa moon rover')&nbsp; <br /> Posted by kelvinzero</DIV></p><p><font size="2">Tire track is missing in only one place.&nbsp; Two tires on the other side are almost out of view.</font>&nbsp; </p><p><br /> <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/6/15/66e08a9d-296b-4d30-bf2b-529db217cbfb.Medium.jpg" alt="" /><br />&nbsp;</p><p><font size="2">Only one tire on the closer side has missing track. This could be due to a small area of hard surface. Here I assumed the rover moved from right to left in the picture. As a result you shouldn't expect tracks in front of the rover.</font></p><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="2" color="#ff0000"><strong>Earth is Boring</strong></font> </div>