Surface Vehicle
Introduction

Background 

Martian Terrain
Lunar Rover
Vehicle
Size and Composition
Suspension
Wheels
Steering/Brakes
Power
Modular Trailer System 
Communication and Navigation

Safety Measures

 
Lunar Rover
  The Apollo Lunar Rover weighted 462 pounds and could carry an additional 970 pounds. It had a range of 50 kilometers 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. Batteries provided power. For steering, there was a hand controller located between the two astronauts. Braking was mechanical: a cable attached to the hand controller could be used to deenergize the drive controller and force brake drums onto wheel hubs. The only "suspension" on the rover was a simple spring mount. Navigation was accomplished with the aid of a gyroscope and distances were estimated by counting the number of wheels rotations during travel.  
  For more information:

Apollo Lunar Surface Journal (http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/a16/a16.html
 
  For pages from the actual manual, go to "Introductory Material" and then "Lunar Roving Vehicle Operations handbook."  

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/apollo.engin.html

 
 

mitCopyright © 2000 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Comments and questions to mission2004-students@mit.edu Last updated: 10 December, 2000