| 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 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. |
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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