QUESTION:
What form of transportation would you recommend be used on Mars?

ANSWER from Guy Beutelschies on February 11, 1997:
Transportation on Mars is an interesting question.  It depends on what you
are trying to transport and to where.  Some of the vehicles we are looking
at to carry cameras and small science instruments are rovers (like our own
Sojourner), balloons (like the ones that were on the Russian Mars 96
mission), and even airplanes.  The airplanes are very lightweight with huge
wingspans due to the thin atmosphere and lower gravity.

If you want to transport people, then I would suggest looking at the Lunar
rover used on the Apollo missions.  Another place to look at is vehicles
that the military uses in the desert (HumVees, dune buggies, etc.).  One
thing to keep in mind is how to power it since there are no gas stations on
Mars yet.  NASA is  currently exploring how to produce Hydrogen and Oxygen
from Martian materials.  These two elements can be used to produce power.

If you want to move lots of people between different bases, then a monorail
or other train-like system might work.

Good Luck!

Guy Beutelschies:	Mars Pathfinder Flight Engineer