People find all sorts of treasures in garbage heaps ... but a lunar rover? Now, that's the craziest thing I've ever heard. But, apparently, it's true.
A lunar rover prototype, similar the one above being driven by famed rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, was sold to a junkyard in Alabama last year, according to a report in Motherboard.
The Mobile Test Article (MTA) unit was built by Brown Engineering for the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama; while it was not the winning design (that honor went to Boeing), it played a minor role in the engineering of the final rover, Apollo 17, used on the moon in 1972.
Of course, it doesn't look much like it did during its heyday -- but the junkyard owner, who remains anonymous, set it aside because he reportedly "knew what it was." Maybe he's one of those erudite, Pawn Star types who is incredibly knowledgeable about rare extraterrestrial modes of transport.
It appears all that remains is the metal frame and rubber tires. It seems to be missing the antenna assembly that was mounted to its top, the driver controls and seat and likely, the drive train itself.
"In the right hands, it could be restored -- at least aesthetically, to represent the role it played in the development of the Apollo lunar roving vehicle in a museum or other appropriate venue," Robert Pearlman, editor of collectSPACE, told Mashable.
It seems NASA has also discovered the whereabouts of the lunar rover. The junkyard owner told Motherboard that NASA representatives offered him "everything but cash" for the rare rover they had been searching out for 25 years.
So what will become of the moon buggy? The junkyard owner says he is planning to sell it; he just has to talk to his lawyer first.
Its historical value is likely higher than its market value, according to Pearlman. "I could see it possibly selling for several hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on how well the auction is promoted," he said.