Sunday, May 29, 2011

What Kind of Bicycle Would You Ride on the Moon?

   I woke up in the middle of the night and asked myself this question. 
   Silly question?  Perhaps.  Upon waking, my thoughts are often free from the restraints of logic.  Usually, I pay little attention to these little bits of fluff.
   But this time, I kept wondering.  And if I were to go to the moon, what would I ride?  Bicycles are lightweight and relatively low-maintenance.  So far in my life, I can firmly say that I am not mechanically inclined.  However, I can manage routine maintenance on a bike. 
   A bicycle might be a good choice for the moon.  Sure, it would have to be modified somewhat, but it would most likely be fairly light in weight (to reduce the payload and save on transportation), and would, by its very nature, be fairly easy to fix.
   To extend this line of thinking about getting around on the moon, I began to think of other ways APT (Astronaut Powered Transportation) could be achieved.  Foot power (think Flintstones), different ways of pedaling (something like an elliptical trainer hooked to a drive train?).  And these modes of motion could be used to store up a charge in a battery which could be used for other purposes.
   These ideas I find intriguing.  I would love to work for a think tank that could take these further and see if they would be feasible.  I'd like to believe that these and other ideas have been tested.  Unfortunately, most of what gets reported seems to be money-centric.  Even the news that bleeds refers to gains and losses, the costs of war, the price we pay for freedom, etc.
   Oh well.  That won't stop me from dreaming.  And asking random questions.  How about you?

No comments:

Post a Comment