Spaceflight 🚀#Nitinol, an alloy of nickel and titanium, makes a rubber-acting metal that can bend all different ways, and it will always stretch back to its original shape. #Bridgestone is using a felt-like material for its tread, while the wheel comprises thin metal spokes that can flex https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czrve1zrlg3o
Rubber-based tires 🛞 will not be able to withstand the harsh #lunar environment, extreme #temperature variations, and high levels of ultraviolet radiation https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/bridgestone-unveils-metal-spoked-tire-concept
Air-filled #tires have little utility on the moon. Rubber properties vary significantly between the extreme cold ❄️ and hot 🌡️ temperatures experienced in the shaded and directly sunlit areas of the #moon. Unfiltered #solar radiation degrades rubber https://news.goodyear.com/goodyear-and-nasa-invent-spring-tire-for-moon-possibly-earth
