Posted on April 1, 2026
Thanks to the planned launch of Artemis II, the moon is back in the news.
The mission, which will mark the first time astronauts have flown around the moon since the Apollo Program of the 1960s and 70s, is the next step to returning astronauts to the lunar surface in upcoming flights.
With the attention the upcoming flights have generated — along with the excitement—it’s a perfect time to reflect on the rich history the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) has in supporting previous lunar missions.
In the spring of 1969, mere months before Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon, teams with the Waterways Experiment Station – the predecessor to ERDC – were studying ways to help astronauts on future lunar missions transition from walking to driving.
A scaled rover, built by WES, is tested on simulated lunar soil composed by WES engineers. (ERDC photo)
At NASA’s request, WES engineers studied the performance and capabilities of wheels that would become vital components to the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) under development for future Apollo missions.
Examining two nearly identical wheels created in collaboration by Boeing and General Motors, researchers not only spent months putting each tire through the paces but first had to develop methods and materials to test the tires that would one day prove crucial to lunar exploration.
One of the proposed tires for the Lunar Roving Vehicle is examined by WES engineers. (ERDC photo)
The task was executed by the WES Mobility Research Branch of the Mobility and Environmental Division – which today is part of the ERDC Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory.
The researchers also had to develop the soil in which to conduct the tests. NASA had gathered lunar soil samples from the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 missions, but the quantities were insufficient for the purposes of the tests. To simulate the fine and non-compacted lunar soil, NASA shipped to the Vicksburg facility large quantities of dune sand from the desert near Yuma, Arizona, and crushed basalt from the Napa Valley in California.
After recommendations from WES researchers, the final design – wheels consisting of woven zinc-covered music wire with titanium chevrons riveted to the mesh to enhance traction – was approved by NASA in April 1971. The wheels were then placed on the LRV that would travel to the Moon aboard Apollo 15 in July 1971.
Apollo 15 Astronaut James Irwin prepares to drive the Lunar Roving Vehicle. (NASA photo)
Astronauts David Scott and James Irwin landed on the moon on July 30, 1971. The next day, the two unloaded the LRV and prepared for their first drive. During their time on the lunar surface, Scott and Irwin traveled more than 17 miles aboard the LRV reaching speeds up to 8 miles per hour.
An LRV would also be used in the final two lunar missions – Apollo 16 and 17 – and served without any major issues. The Apollo 15 mission itself set several duration records, including longest lunar mission (295 hours), but was considered a “geologic bonanza” due to the amount of the lunar surface astronauts were able to explore and the data they were able to collect thanks to the LRV’s capabilities.
Harrison Schmitt of Apollo 17 said, “… the Lunar Rover proved to be the reliable, safe and flexible lunar exploration vehicle we expected it to be. Without it, the major scientific discoveries of Apollo 15, 16 and 17 would not have been possible; and our current understanding of lunar evolution would not have been possible.”
