The United States Apollo 14 moon mission which blasts off from Cape Kennedy on January 31 next year, will be carrying with it a revolutionary new lunar vehicle. The vehicle, known as a Mobile Equipment Transporter--or MET--was unveiled for the first time at Washington Press Conference on Friday (October 16).

Prime crewmen on the mission--the sixth American manned flight to the moon--are Spacecraft Commander Alan B. Shepard, Command Module pilot Stuart A Roosa and Lunar Module pilot Edgar Mitchell. Shepard and Mitchell will use the two-wheeled cart to increase their mobility while carrying out their range of duties on the surface of the moon.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administrations (N.A.S.A.) which developed the MET claims the vehicle will double the walking range of the Apollo 14 astronauts and greatly increase the amount of moon material they can bring back. The vehicles uses were explained to newsmen by Edgar Mitchell.