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    Ex-Nasa Experts Create High-Tech Tricycle

    Sky News – Mon, Sep 19, 2011

    Former Nasa scientists who lost their jobs when the space shuttle operation ended have teamed up to create a high-tech tricycle.

    The winding up of the shuttle programme left many top-level engineers out of work - but it seems their expertise is not going to waste.

    This design project has resulted in a futuristic tricycle - and this time the vehicle is for use on Earth rather than up in space.

    Called the Treycycle , it is powered by a Chrysler 300 3.5-litre engine, packs 260 horsepower and can go from 0-60mph in 3.6 seconds.

    The part-bike, part-car is billed as the first race-engineered but street-legal three-wheeled vehicle.

    There is apparently already a waiting list of 150 for the tricycle, which is being built in the shadow of Launch Pad 39A, where shuttle Atlantis once stood.

    They aim to build two every three weeks in the first year of production, which is set to start next month.

    Ray Ackley, CEO and designer, hopes the business will employ more than 100 people within a year.

    Mr Ackley told Fox 35: "Space centre has laid off so many people and they are being displaced and a lot of them really can't move. They are stuck with their houses and mortgages.

    "I'm hoping to employ between 110 to 130 people within a year. If the company gets bigger, it will be even more."

    There is even a modified version of the bike in production, with three seats to suit couples with a child.

    Each one will have a special serial number plate which says: "Made on the Space Coast in the Sunshine State."

    Michael Shulman, from promoters Emerging Growth Institute, said: "You can be sure this is going to fly."

    America's 30-year shuttle programme ended this summer when Atlantis landed back safety after its last-ever mission.

     

    13 comments

    • Gobsmacked
      Gobsmacked  •  8 months ago
      NASA , did you try googling "Reliant Robin" . seems we beat you to a "street legal 3 wheeler " many many years ago.......
    • michael
      michael  •  8 months ago
      wouldn't fancy my chances hitting a landrover in one of those
    • Kenneth
      Kenneth  •  8 months ago
      Looks awsome, forget Billy Conolly I would love to ride that accross rout 66. Hope thay make a great success.
    • Malcolm
      Malcolm  •  8 months ago
      Nothing new, the technology is Over 40 years old, Seen one when I was a kid.?
    • Avatar 6.6.6.
      Avatar 6.6.6.  •  8 months ago
      There is no money available these days for more ''moon hoaxes''
    • Steve
      Steve  •  8 months ago
      Oh dear! didn't these scientists understand it's easy to cope with instability under acceleration(it's automatic to ease off the fast pedal if it starts to tip) , BUT you want the stability under braking, when you really want to stop, and so wont let off the break, causing car to tip over. Put the single wheel at the BACK, to prevent that problem ! Like the Grinnal scorpion manages that kind of acceleration with a far smaller BMW bike engine- With all that power it looks like this trike must be right heavy.

      As I'm a believer in the KISS principle.look at the Lomax 3 wheel wheel. trailing single wheel at back so stability under braking not a problem- Front wheel drive+dif so if you do try going round a corner too fast a wheel will lift, and spin, losing power, and automatically dropping the speed. Light, and simple design=easy to make, less to go wrong, and way easier/cheaper for even a new driver to maintain. As it's light a small engine can power it, so that's fuel and pollution savings. Yeah it's only got two seats but that's no worse than the Austin Metro, which were how many people's first cars!
    • bwahaha
      bwahaha  •  8 months ago
      What happens when another fat yank hits you in his 50 tonne escalade? - like 200% chance of death
    • Dan k
      Dan k  •  8 months ago
      I'm not at all surprised they're unemployed Nasa scientists. They've done nil research into the triking world - they've built it a,r,s,e about face! Ask any recumbent trike enthusiast what is the most efficient and stable of all trikes. and they will tell you it's the tadpole version where the two wheels are at the FRONT - not the back.

      3.5 litre engine!?! Are they having a laugh? Numpties. Repeat: No wonder they are unemployed. They need an education in trikes first and foremost!
    • Keith
      Keith  •  8 months ago
      I’d be more impressed if they had come up with an alternative power source to cheaply retro-fit in our cars and trucks, instead of the continued use of fossil-fuelled engines. It’s alright for them, compared to the UK, fuel is still very cheap there!
    • Ana
      Ana  •  8 months ago
      Having watched the video, I think it looks a right mess. I´ll stick with me quad bike.
    • DEREK
      DEREK  •  8 months ago
      whats all this about? Who would want to go in a stupid 3 wheeler when you can get a 4 wheeler- whatever they may say the 4 wheeler is more stable. Are they trying to make a fast buck on the shuttle bandwagon? seems like it. Or maybe it is some sort of status symbol.
      • Dan k
        Dan k 8 months ago
        That's why they've built this paticular trike so low and so long, with the rear wheels wide apart to offset it's inherent instability - now on the other hand if they'd shown some intelligence and designed it with with the two wheels at the front . . .
    • HENRY VIII
      HENRY VIII  •  8 months ago
      The government need to get rid of all official cars and order a fleet of High-Tech Tricycles. In fact the Queen could help cut down expences and get rid of the palace fleet. She sho order a few of these instead.
    • sharpes
      sharpes  •  8 months ago
      Why?
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