Hidden deep within a secret cave somewhere in the United States (actually, the privately-run Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex), two brothers have been working hard to create the ‘Batmobile’, a Mars exploration vehicle (actually, a full-size rover) capable of exploring the Red Planet.
“It’s a six-wheeled, all-electric vehicle that was created with every intention of overcoming obstacles on the sandy, rocky red planet”
Marc Parker and his brother Shaun have been working on the project since November 2016. Marc insists the rover isn’t funded by NASA, but is a collaboration between a privately-owned television network that he’s not allowed to name and his Parker Brothers Concepts.
Their base is at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, which is owned by NASA, and according to sources they work extremely closely with America’s space agency.
The as-of-yet unnamed rover was unveiled on May 9, and images and videos of the Batmobile lookalike soon hit social media and news outlets around the globe.
According to Business Insider, Marc Parker, designer and builder of the new rover, said: “It’s a six-wheeled, all-electric vehicle that was created with every intention of overcoming obstacles on the sandy, rocky red planet.”
However, the vehicle is extremely unlikely to make it to Mars, as the purpose for this latest design is to tour the United States as part of the “Summer of Mars” educational initiative, funded by NASA.
“The program aims to inspire the public about space exploration and interplanetary travel, especially regarding NASA’s mandate to reach Mars by 2033,” Business Insider writes.
The latest project by Parker Brothers Concepts, is likely to send conspiracy theorists into a spin. Marc and his brother usually produce concept vehicles for film and television projects, but this latest NASA project has seen them team up with a large unnamed television network to produce the rover. For many years, ever since the 1960s, conspiracy theorists have debated whether NASA has ever really gone to the moon. These latest links will surely add fuel to the already raging fire.
Parker Brother Concepts worked tirelessly on the rover’s construction for six months, with a large team and many secrets that are not allowed to be revealed.
“Me and the guys, we averaged about 80 to 100 hours a week, each. We worked 10-, 12-, 14-hour days, seven days a week since late last year,” Marc told Business Insider. “If I thought about how many hours we put into this thing, I’d probably cry. It’s way too many.”
Although this project is intended for a commercial stunt here in the United States, there are also plans to build a comparable size vehicle to explore Mars by 2033.
A formal announcement of the ‘Batmobile’ rover, official launch of the TV show and “Summer of Mars” educational program is said to be unveiled within the coming weeks.
