Modular Equipment Transporter
The Modular Equipment Transporter (MET, English for Modular Equipment Transporter ) is a type of handcart that was used on the Apollo 14 mission mainly to transport equipment on the moon . It included a number of tools which the astronauts on their spacewalks required on the surface, as well as smaller instruments . Two boxes were integrated that offered storage space for the collected moon rocks . A 16 mm film camera was also installed, with which the crew could film themselves at work. The astronauts nicknamed the mobile " rickshaw ".
During the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 missions , it turned out that the astronauts, despite various carrying aids, had difficulty transporting equipment on the moon, which led to the construction of the MET within a short time. It was planned to use the MET on Apollo 13 , Apollo 14 and Apollo 15. However, Apollo 13 did not land and the originally planned Apollo 15 mission was canceled due to cost reasons. For the newly numbered Apollo 15 mission, the Lunar Roving Vehicle was already ready for use, so the MET was only used once. Overall, the MET did not meet the expectations placed on it, especially not in hilly terrain, as pulling the car was very strenuous and slowed the astronauts considerably.
