Space vehicle makes its way to Discovery Green for Super Bowl display

Under the banners promoting the biggest event Houston will host this year, crews are steadily transforming downtown's Discovery Green into a venue visitors can celebrate Super Bowl LI while simultaneously highlighting other notable Houston backdrops.

One key attraction is NASA's Space Exploration Vehicle, or SEV. The vehicle, once known as Chariot, will be on display at Discovery Green from Jan. 27 to Feb. 5 in conjunction with Super Bowl Week.

"We got engaged fairly quickly because we knew right away we wanted NASA to be a part of the events leading up to the super bowl," said Deborah Conder, Johnson Space Center external relations deputy director.

Conder said the entire exhibit is a thoroughly constructed narrative that explains the steps the agency is taking to put a person on Mars.

The SEV made the trip, slowly, on Monday - navigating its way through Houston's morning rush - following a period on display at Space Center Houston.

Christopher Jimenez and his 4-year-old son Seth went exploring along downtown Monday afternoon to see the changes taking place. Jimenez said he's looking forward to returning once the changes are completed by this weekend.

"It's going to be a nightmare navigating the area with everyone in the region flocking here," he said. "But it's the Super Bowl. This won't happen again for a few years."

When they return, Jimenez, along with other visitors, will have the chance to climb in the rover and get a close-up look at what astronauts will possibly use on Mars, NASA spokeswoman Nicole Cloutier. It's the vehicle of the future, but the concept isn't new.

Rovers have been a key part of NASA's technological arsenal for decades.

The "moon buggy" was used by Apollo astronauts for excursions on three missions, and of course all three are still there. Miniature versions of the SEV have long been roaming the Martian surface, snapping photos and testing rocks and soil.

Today's rover is a little more durable than the buggy used more than 40 years ago.

In its ground configuration - it also has a version for use in space - and is designed to work over the most rugged terrain and climb slopes up to 40 degrees. The chassis can turn on a dime and even move sideways in a "crabbing" motion.

The chassis that carries the somewhat awkward looking cockpit and cabin was designed by an off-road racing team. It's been tested in a variety of harsh environments, including the Black Point Lava Flow in Arizona.

The SEV exhibit will be only one of several from NASA.

Visitors will also see a full-size model of the rover Curiosity, a mock-up of the spacecraft Orion, the Mark III spacesuit. NASA also will debut its virtual reality ride - The Future Flight.

Wearing virtual reality goggles, riders will journey to the Red Planet, lifting off into Earth's orbit and then soaring through space. The virtual ride concludes with an accelerating 90-foot drop that will transport guests from Mars back to Earth through an open roof of NRG Stadium onto the 50-yard line.