Holy Martian Batmobile! NASA Mars Mission Engineers Consult With George Barris, Hollywood Car Designer and Creator of the Batmobile

16 March 2000

Holy Martian Batmobile! NASA Mars Mission Engineers Consult With George Barris, Hollywood Car Designer and Creator of the Batmobile

    NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--March 16, 2000-- George Barris, the renowned Hollywood car customizer responsible for designing and building the most famous movie and star cars in the world, including the original TV Batmobile, has been contacted by NASA's Mars EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity) Project Office's Advanced Technology Group, located at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
    The reason? NASA came across a model kit produced by a toy model company in the 1960s of a full-size working six-wheeled lunar rover vehicle designed and built by Barris called the Moon Scope. NASA was interested in the wheel and suspension design. NASA requested detailed background information on the design of the vehicle and is at this time cooperating with Barris, who has given permission for NASA to utilize any of the advanced designs for the Mars missions.
    "I was intrigued by the wheel and suspension design and how far ahead of its time it was," said Robert Yowell, project engineer for NASA EVA Mars Project.
    Ironically, the current motion picture "Mission to Mars" from Disney showcases various Martian project vehicles in the film. "I'm usually the one who gets the call from motion picture and television studios to design and build vehicles for film and TV. This is the first time I have been contacted by NASA for the real thing," said Barris from his studio and showrooms.
    Barris was informed on March 14 at a press conference in Beverly Hills that he was chosen by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to receive the LIFE CAREER SATURN AWARD for his 50 years on the cutting edge of vehicular designs for the motion picture and television industry.

    Note to Editors: A photo is available.