Tires on the ground ...

Oh, if we made one a bit bigger, with a couple of slinkies say, then we could pull balloons through the springs with string, then inflate them with helium. Just enough to let them bite and give a bit rigidity to the slinkies. I think that when the springs start to rotate with the balloons, the balloons will inflate a little more due to the added energy.

We could easily lose the first model but it would create a flying saucer scare, which can't be bad.

Please, Stoat, draw a picture - your image creations are so cool.

Hi Shando, although it sounds very simple to make, I suspect that it's going to be rather tricky. I can do the spiral shape easy enough but the bulges in the balloons could be a bit of a nightmare.

Sloat, Get a balloon shaped like a cigar that fits the slinkie just right and bulges won't be a problem.

Has anyone seen the latest news from NASA?

Martian ball rovers. Honest.

Hm, yeah, do a google search for nasa, mars, tumbleweed

Have to say that I like that name, a little bit of showmanship goes a long way.