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Introduction
Background
Martian
Terrain
Lunar
Rover
Vehicle
Size and
Composition
Suspension
Wheels
Steering/Brakes
Power
Modular Trailer
System
Communication
and Navigation
Safety Measures
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Lunar Rover
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The Apollo Lunar Rover weighted
462 pounds and could carry an additional 970 pounds. It had a 50km
range and could operate at speeds of up to 10-12 km/hr when traversing
level ground. It had a 14 inch clearance when fully loaded and a 17
inch clearance when without a load. The rover operated with batteries.
It had a hand controller for steering located between the two astronauts.
Braking was achieved through the mechanical means. A cable was attached
to the hand controller which deenergized the drive controller and
forced a brake drum onto the wheel hub. Suspension was essentially
a spring (see the diagram from the Lunar Operations Handbook). Navigation
involved knowing exactly where the astronauts had landed. To navigate
from place to place, wheel rotation counts and heading information
from a gyroscope were put together. |
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For more information:
Apollo
Lunar Surface Journal (http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/a16/a16.html)
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For pages from the actual
manual, go to "Introductory Material" and then "Lunar
Roving Vehicle Operations handbook." |
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http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/apollo.engin.html
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Copyright © 2000 Massachusetts Institute of Technology