Page 80 - Apollo Moonships

78 On bOard apOllO mOOnships
THE MOON BUGGY
The Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), nicknamed the “moon buggy”, was developed to extend the range of extravehicular activities during the Apollo 15, 16, and 17 missions, which were launched between 1971 and 1972. Up to now, it has been the only manned surface vehicle driven outside the Earth. A total of six astronauts were transported over the lunar surface by three different LRVs, traveling about 56 miles (90.4 km) on nine traverses—three for each mission—that totaled 10 hours and 54 minutes.
LUNAR ROVING VEHICLE CHARACTERISTICS
Designed to transport two astronauts and a cargo of 450 pounds in the low- gravity vacuum of the moon, the LRV was able to traverse the lunar surface for 78 hours during the day to a maximum distance of 57 miles from the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM). However, in order to prevent a lunar rover breakdown, its operational range was restricted to a radius of 6 miles, the maximum safe distance that the astronauts could walk to the LEM because of limitations in its Portable Life Support System (PLSS). Each wheel of the LRV was powered by its own 0.25-horsepower electric motor, capable of 10,000 revolutions per minute (rpm). The front and rear wheels also mounted separate steering systems, each driven by a single electrical motor of 0.1 horsepower. Two 36-volt non-rechargeable batteries placed on the front of the lunar rover powered the drive and steering motors and the rest of the vehicle systems (communications, cameras, etc.). The LRV average speed was about 4 miles per hour (mph), but could reach up to 8 mph or even more on smooth terrain.
LRV MAIN COMPONENTS
1 High gain S–band antenna
2 16 mm data acquisition camera
3 Low gain antenna
4 Science and crew equipment stowage
5 Sample collection bags
6 Hand controller
7 Vehicle attitude indicator
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8 Display console
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9 Color TV camera
10 Drive controller
11 Traction drive
12 Battery N° 1
13 Drive controller
APOLLO 17 LRV
The Apollo 17 commander, Eugene A. Cernan, stands beside the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV). The thermal reflective blankets seen at the front of the LRV covered and cooled the batteries and electronics, keeping them within an optimal temperature range (passive thermal control).