Page 86 - Apollo Moonships

84 On bOard apOllO mOOnships
Deployable seat
Fender
Floor panel
Footrest
Hand controller
Side restraint
Toehold
Fender extensible section
THE CREW STATION
The crew station of the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) included all the equipment required by astronauts to drive the vehicle with stability, safety, and comfort. This equipment included seats, floor panels, seat belts, footrests, handholds, armrests, fenders, and toeholds. The two aluminum-tubing seats were deployable and could be folded into the center chassis. Both seats—spanned of nylon and equipped with simple attachment and release seat belts—were designed to accommodate
the astronaut’s space suit backpack, known as the Primary Life Support System (PLSS). The rover also had resistant aluminum floor panels capable of supporting the weight of the astronauts even if they were standing. The floor panels mounted side restraints, a pair of deployable footrests and toeholds on each side of the vehicle, were used to help the astronauts get out of it under the low gravity conditions prevailing on
the moon. To prevent that the crew station was splashed by lunar dust when the LRV was in motion, extensible fiberglass fenders covered the wheels (a section of each fender was retractable to save space while the LRV remained stowed into the Lunar Module). Once the LRV was over the lunar surface, the astronauts extended the deployable fender sections.
MOBILITY SUBSYSTEM
The chassis and all the equipment required to drive the LRV (propelling, steering, etc.) were part of its mobility subsystem, designed to provide the vehicle the ability to move reliably on the rugged lunar terrain. The subsystem included a dual steering mechanism (both the front and rear wheels could be steered, see page 81) and the hermetically sealed traction drive assemblies, formed by three main components mounted on each wheel: a 0.25 horsepower electrical motor, a strain wave gearing unit and a mechanical brake system. If necessary, each wheel could be uncoupled from its traction drive system to move freely. To generate speed, steering, braking and park braking commands, the astronauts used the hand controller, a “T” shaped handle placed near to the control display console.
LUNAR ROVER DRIVE CONTROL
Control display console
Hand controller
Reverse inhibit switch
Armrest
Parking brake contingency release ring
LUNAR ROVER TRACTION DRIVE ASSEMBLY Harmonic drive Drive motor
Fan motor
Gear box Disk brake