Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.
In 1971, the first lunar rover arrived on the moon. The design became an icon of American ingenuity and the adventurous spirit and vision many equated with the space race.
Fifty years later, that vision feels like a nostalgic fantasy, but the lunar rover's legacy paved the way for Mars rovers like Sojourner, Curiosity, and Perseverance. Other rovers have made accessible the world's deepest caves and most remote tundra, extending our exploratory range without risking lives. Still others have been utilized for search and rescue missions or in clean up operations after disasters such as Chernobyl.
For all these achievements, rovers embody not just our potential, but our limits. Examining rovers as they wander our terrestrial and celestial boundaries, we might better comprehend our place, and fate, in this universe.
Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.
In 1971, the first lunar rover arrived on the moon. The design became an icon of American ingenuity and the adventurous spirit and vision many equated with the space race.
Fifty years later, that vision feels like a nostalgic fantasy, but the lunar rover's legacy paved the way for Mars rovers like Sojourner, Curiosity, and Perseverance. Other rovers have made accessible the world's deepest caves and most remote tundra, extending our exploratory range without risking lives. Still others have been utilized for search and rescue missions or in clean up operations after disasters such as Chernobyl.
For all these achievements, rovers embody not just our potential, but our limits. Examining rovers as they wander our terrestrial and celestial boundaries, we might better comprehend our place, and fate, in this universe.
Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.
Betala smidigt med kort, Klarna, Apple Pay eller Google Pay. Är du inte nöjd har du alltid 14 dagars ångerrätt. Läs mer i våra villkor. Har du några frågor, mejla oss på hello@memmo.org.
Memmo gör det enklare att plugga – var du än är i världen. Hos oss samlar du kursböcker och smarta studieverktyg på ett och samma ställe: sammanfattningar, quiz, poddar och flashcards. Och så Ted, din studiekompis som svarar på allt du undrar. Över 50 000 studenter pluggar redan här – byggt för att du ska lära dig snabbare och stressa mindre.