Space 1999 moon buggy
Encyclopedia
The Moon Buggy is a fictional vehicle in Gerry
and Sylvia Anderson
's TV series Space: 1999
. It is Moonbase Alpha
's all purpose land vehicle. Capable of operating in an atmosphere or vacuum, the Alphans use the Moon Buggy for long distance travel, and for areas which are inaccessible to an Eagle spacecraft.
s have traditionally been steered. The dashboard originally only had an ignition
switch but some buggies had additional controls including airlock
switches.
The Moon Buggy has a crew of two, although it can be driven by one person. The rear section of the buggy can carry mission specific equipment. One of the tasks it was normally assigned to prior to breakaway was to transport workers to Moonbase Alpha's Nuclear Disposal Area 2 to check radiation levels.
As shown in the episode The Last Enemy, a Moon Buggy can be controlled remotely if needed. This was demonstrated when a Moon Buggy with explosives concealed in an empty spacesuit was steered remotely into a hostile alien gunship.
They may be deployed from special airlocks or Eagles and in the latter case may be used on Earth
-type planets.
and was also highly recognized for its use in the Saturday morning children show Banana Splits
. Although not on display, the original vehicle is currently owned by Cars of the Stars Motor Museum
in the English town of Keswick, Cumbria
.
There were several miniature versions of this vehicle used by the special effects team including motorized and remote controlled versions. They also included miniature astronauts, one or two depending on the live action scene, but these often appeared stiff and non-lifelike during the motion scenes.
Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson MBE is a British publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
and Sylvia Anderson
Sylvia Anderson
Sylvia Anderson , born 25 March 1937, is a British voice artist and film producer, most notable for collaborations with Gerry Anderson, to whom she was married from 1962 to 1975....
's TV series Space: 1999
Space: 1999
Space: 1999 is a British science-fiction television series that ran for two seasons and originally aired from 1975 to 1977. In the opening episode, nuclear waste from Earth stored on the Moon's far side explodes in a catastrophic accident on 13 September 1999, knocking the Moon out of orbit and...
. It is Moonbase Alpha
Moonbase Alpha
Moonbase Alpha is a fictional moon base and the main setting in the science fiction television series Space: 1999.-Moonbase Alpha:Located in the Moon crater Plato and constructed out of quarried rock and ores, Moonbase Alpha is four kilometres in diameter and extends up to one kilometre in areas...
's all purpose land vehicle. Capable of operating in an atmosphere or vacuum, the Alphans use the Moon Buggy for long distance travel, and for areas which are inaccessible to an Eagle spacecraft.
Vehicle Operation
Moon Buggies are driven with two handles, each one controlling one side of the moon buggy; hence, turning is accomplished by putting one stick forward and drawing the other back. This method of control is similar to how tankTank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
s have traditionally been steered. The dashboard originally only had an ignition
Ignition system
An ignition system is a system for igniting a fuel-air mixture. Ignition systems are well known in the field of internal combustion engines such as those used in petrol engines used to power the majority of motor vehicles, but they are also used in many other applications such as in oil-fired and...
switch but some buggies had additional controls including airlock
Airlock
An airlock is a device which permits the passage of people and objects between a pressure vessel and its surroundings while minimizing the change of pressure in the vessel and loss of air from it...
switches.
The Moon Buggy has a crew of two, although it can be driven by one person. The rear section of the buggy can carry mission specific equipment. One of the tasks it was normally assigned to prior to breakaway was to transport workers to Moonbase Alpha's Nuclear Disposal Area 2 to check radiation levels.
As shown in the episode The Last Enemy, a Moon Buggy can be controlled remotely if needed. This was demonstrated when a Moon Buggy with explosives concealed in an empty spacesuit was steered remotely into a hostile alien gunship.
They may be deployed from special airlocks or Eagles and in the latter case may be used on Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
-type planets.
Filming vehicle
The Moon Buggy is actually an amphibious vehicle called the AmphicatAmphicat
The Amphicat was a six-wheel-drive, skid steer amphibious all-terrain vehicle manufactured in the late 1960s through the early 1970s by Mobility Unlimited Inc. of Auburn Hills, Michigan...
and was also highly recognized for its use in the Saturday morning children show Banana Splits
Banana Splits
The Banana Splits were four comedic animal characters who featured in a late 1960s children's variety show made for television. The costumed hosts of the show were Fleegle , Bingo , Drooper and Snork .The Banana Splits Adventure Hour was an hour-long, packaged television program that featured both...
. Although not on display, the original vehicle is currently owned by Cars of the Stars Motor Museum
Cars of the Stars Motor Museum
The Cars of the Stars Motor Museum was in the English town of Keswick, Cumbria, and owned a collection of celebrity television and film vehicles...
in the English town of Keswick, Cumbria
Keswick, Cumbria
Keswick is a market town and civil parish within the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England. It had a population of 4,984, according to the 2001 census, and is situated just north of Derwent Water, and a short distance from Bassenthwaite Lake, both in the Lake District National Park...
.
There were several miniature versions of this vehicle used by the special effects team including motorized and remote controlled versions. They also included miniature astronauts, one or two depending on the live action scene, but these often appeared stiff and non-lifelike during the motion scenes.
External links
- Space 1999 Catacombs - Moonbuggy In depth review of the moon buggy
- Space 1999: Eagle Transporter — A visual reference guide to Eagle Transporter collectables.
- Eagle Transporter Forum — Discussion board with main emphasis on the Eagle Transporter and other Gerry AndersonGerry AndersonGerry Anderson MBE is a British publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
hardware.