BU-99-Y Exo-Planet Rover Study Is a Modular Machine Designed for Alien Planets

Sure, society hasn’t yet communicated with aliens or has integrated itself into a cosmic community, but the idea that one day humankind will be living on other planets is becoming more and more a reality. When that day comes, a vehicle you could use for day-to-day operations is the BU-99-Y.

This exo-planet explorer is the work of Marnix Rekkers, a concept artist from Den Bosch, Netherlands. Just to make things clear, this design does look a lot like another rover you’ve seen on autoevolution, the Gura Terra by Edon Guraziu. The reason for that is that Edon holds a design course in which Marnix was a student, so some similarities are bound to happen.

Like the Gura, the BU-99-Y is meant to assist in off-world operations where terrains are absolutely unforgiving—not only terrain, but the general environment. To understand more about how the vehicle is meant to function, imagine the following scenario.

You’re on Mars, stationed in one of five colonies on the planet. It’s 4:37 in the morning, Earth time. Suddenly, an alarm you’ve been trained to hear finally goes off. In minutes, all the occupants are rushing to their life-saving BU-99-Y vehicles.

With everyone safely onboard, you witness an explosion in one of the facilities. Because of the dynamics of space, of which I know nothing about, large bits of terrain are launched in all directions, eventually damaging crucial components on the BU-99-Y.

The immediate task at hand in such a scenario is that of keeping everyone alive. To do that, the BU-99-Y is equipped with multiple systems to ensure the safety of crew members. One of the main features is that of multiple compartments within the body of the rover. That allows crew members to seal off undamaged areas while other compartments are a hazard.

In case no danger is present, this separation of space also allows the BU-99-Y to perform more than one function. One room can house a lab, another a medical unit, while another area is a simple mess hall; your imagination is as good as mine.

Another design aspect included is that of modularity. Because space will most likely be limited wherever your colony is booming, the BU-99-Y is meant to perform multiple functions, from reconnaissance to maintenance, sample collection, and probing, not so much warfare. This allows precious space to be saved by packing all functions into one neat package.

Part of this modular ability extends far beyond the living space and into exterior components. The design allows the BU-99-Y to replace damaged components such as the wheels, suspension systems, and even chassis easily and effortlessly.

One thing I liked about the designer’s imagination is the use of airless tires. Yes, this is something NASA has been implementing for years as they’re incredibly durable, but these look so damn good, they could be thrown onto an Escalade. Each wheel is supported by only one independently moving arm, allowing the BU-99-Y body to remain level as terrain changes beneath tires.

Since the last thing anyone wants to do is pollute another planet, this vehicle is designed to be electric, so a battery system must be present. This also explains the giant chassis in use. Other than these features, nothing else is mentioned regarding the BU-99-Y.

Personally, if humans ever end up colonizing other planets and I'm one of the inhabitants, I’ll probably be one of the first entrepreneurs to buy one or two of these rovers and transform them into party mobiles. What, am I the only one missing a good party these days?