Editing Hermann Oberth (section)

=== The Moon Car ===
Hermann Oberth published his concept of a moving and jumping lunar vehicle for future, extensive lunar exploration in 1953.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Oberth |first=Hermann |title=Vom Ruhm allein kann man nicht leben |trans-title=You can't live on fame alone |language=de |magazine=Revue |issue=32 |publisher=Bauer |location=Hamburg |year=1953}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Büdeler |first=Werner |title=Das Mond-Auto kann springen |trans-title=The moon car can jump |magazine=Weltbild |issue=1 |language=de |publisher=Th. Martens |year=1954}}</ref> In his considerations, he assumed that large distances should be covered quickly and that extensive fissures/ravines or impassable terrain that block the way should be overcome so that large detours can be avoided.
The vehicle, which would weigh about 10000&nbsp;kg on Earth and only 1654&nbsp;kg on the Moon due to the weak gravitational pull, would be built on Earth, transported to the Moon and dropped on the lunar surface. The tower-like structure has only one leg and it stands on a tracked chassis with a footprint of 2.5 m x 2.5 m. A motor with
51.5&nbsp;kW of power is sufficient to drive at a speed of up to 150&nbsp;km/h, depending on the terrain. The required energy in the form of electrical current is supplied by the solar power plant above the crew cabin and the gyroscope. The leg is a gas-tight cylinder in which the 4.5 m long "jumping leg" can move up and down like a piston in a shock absorber and can be extended and retracted for jumping. The powerful gyroscope above the crew cabin keeps the vehicle vertical and ensures that the vehicle can never tilt more than 45 degrees. The jumps could be up to 125 m high and several 100 m wide. Jumping would occur if the vehicle had to overcome an impassable area or fissures/ravines, or if it had to get from a higher location (e.g. a mountain terrace) to a lower location or vice versa.<ref name="Oberth_f">{{cite book |last= Oberth |first=Hermann |title=The Moon Car |publisher=Harper & Brothers|location=New York |date=1959 |page=41}}</ref>
Oberth writes: "I wanted to present my readers not just with a rough sketch of the lunar car, but with drawings and descriptions based on precise calculations and designs. So I racked my brains over hundreds of details, calculated, compared, constructed, rejected and re-planned until the design was such that I could present it with a clear conscience. Now I can say: I am sure that my moon car can be built."
Feasibility studies or development work on Oberth's lunar vehicle have not begun until 2023 because there are no concrete plans for lunar exploration in which such a large vehicle could be used.