ARCTIC TRUCKS. MARS ROVER

Advancing Humanity

- Robb Pritchard

AT the foot of a range of barren mountains in the middle of Iceland a domed tent houses a team of scientists operating a nearby robot. At first, controlling a buggy from a laptop might not sound too much like being a part of the ultimate off-roading project, but even for a seasoned off-roader, what the scientists are working on is quite mind-blowing. The systems being developed in this remote and desolate landscape will soon be an integral part of the world’s most sophisticated off-road vehicle. Not for any expedition on Earth through, what is being developed is for the terrain of another planet.

THE NEXT MARS ROVER.

And to get to such a remote test site, far across treacherous alluvial glacier flows no normal 4x4 could cope with, the Mission Control team turned to one of the biggest players of extreme terrestrial off-roading; Arctic Trucks. We went to the land of fire and ice to join them on a mercy mission. And had a cup of tea.

Out of the capital, Reykjavik, Iceland, away from the Viking themed souvenir shops and the world’s most expensive beer, it doesn’t take too long for Iceland’s famously epic wilderness to start… and the tarmac to end. With the specially made 38" tires at 11 PSI driving feels like a cross between trying to predict the humorously vague steering of an old Land Rover and a hovercraft. But floating over the rough surface means we can easily do 30 mph where normal 4x4’s would be crawling along wondering when they’d next get stuck in a patch of soft volcanic ash or have to winch over a ledge of solidified lava.