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Author
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Topic: Putty Mills' restored Apollo lunar roving vehicle
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Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 56554
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 07-31-2014 09:09 AM
   
NBC News reports about retired Apollo veteran Rutledge Alexander "Putty" Mills, who worked as chief of vehicles for Manned Lunar Expedition Studies in the Apollo program, and and his work to now restore a lunar rover test vehicle at his home in Santa Ynez, California. At the end of the Apollo program, Mills found the shell of a rover model headed for the dump at Flagstaff, Arizona, and got permission from the city manager to salvage it along with some spare parts. Since then he's rebuilt the rover as a home project. When it's finished, Mills hopes to donate it to a museum.  |
GACspaceguy
Member Posts: 3308
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 07-31-2014 11:41 AM
Sweet ride! "Mills hopes to donate it to a museum" — The Karst-onian will take it.  |
cycleroadie
Member Posts: 454
From: Apalachin, NY USA
Registered: May 2011
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posted 07-31-2014 12:33 PM
I would have put money on your willingness to display it. |
MOL
Member Posts: 230
From: Los Angeles, CA
Registered: Oct 2004
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posted 05-21-2026 09:04 AM
It was only announced in the last few weeks that Mr. Mills passed away in September. Rutledge Alexander "Putty" Mills ... passed away peacefully in his sleep the morning of September 10th, 2025....Putty went to work for the U.S Geological Survey. He joined the Center of Astrogeology and from there, he became part of the Apollo space program, designing and building lunar rover prototypes for astronaut training on the meteor craters, which simulated the moon surface, around the Northern AZ area. He earned national recognition for his work, including the astronauts own "Silver Snoopy" award for his dedication and ingenuity. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 56554
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 05-21-2026 09:09 AM
Regarding his lunar rover, in 2018, Mills (then 95 years old) drove it in that year's Fourth of July Parade in Solvang. He told a reporter then: I was going to donate it to the space center that was going to be built on Vandenberg (Air Force Base), but when that project was delayed, I hung onto it because I think it belongs in a museum on the Central Coast. |
MarylandSpace
Member Posts: 1451
From:
Registered: Aug 2002
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posted 05-21-2026 04:34 PM
Nice articles. Drove the rover in parade at age 95 and lived to age 102. Amazing. |
Kevmac
Member Posts: 338
From:
Registered: Apr 2003
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posted 05-21-2026 04:34 PM
Putty Mills certainly lived a full life and I enjoyed learning about him in a couple Lunar Rover documentaries. Early last year I was able to find his home address and sent the book "Across the Airless Wilds" asking for his signature. Many months later I read of his recent passing and hoped the book would find it's way back to me. But unfortunately it never did. The book is a nice story about him and the rover's development. |
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