Over three decades ago, the Apollo missions manifestly demonstrated the value of a lunar rover to expand the exploration activities of lunar astronauts. The stated plan of the new Vision for Space Exploration to establish a permanent presence on the moon in the next decades gives new impetus to providing long range roving and exploration capability in support of the siting, construction, and maintenance of future human bases. The incorporation of radioisotope power systems and telerobotic capability in the design has the potential to significantly expand the capability of such a rover, allowing continuous operation during the full lunar day/night cycle, as well as enabling exploration in permanently shadowed regions that may be of interest to humans for the resources they may hold. This paper describes a concept that builds on earlier studies originated in the Apollo program for a Dual Mode (crewed and telerobotic) Lunar Roving Vehicle (DMLRV). The goal of this vehicle would be to provide a multipurpose infrastructure element and remote science platform for the exploration of the moon. The DMLRV would be essential for extending the productivity of human exploration crews, and would provide a unique capability for diverse long‐range, long‐duration science exploration between human visits. With minimal reconfiguration this vehicle could also provide the basic platform to support a range of site survey and preparation activities in anticipation of the establishment of a permanent human presence on the moon. A conceptual design is presented for the DMLRV, including discussion of mission architecture, vehicle performance, representative science payload accommodation, and equipment and crew radiation considerations.
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20 January 2006
SPACE TECH.& APPLIC.INT.FORUM-STAIF 2006: 10th Conf Thermophys Applic Microgravity; 23rd Symp Space Nucl Pwr & Propulsion; 4th Conf Human/Robotic Tech & Nat'l Vision for Space Explor.; 4th Symp Space Coloniz.; 3rd Symp on New Frontiers & Future Concepts
12-16 February 2006
Albuquerque, New Mexico (USA)
Research Article|
January 20 2006
Concept for a Radioisotope Powered Dual Mode Lunar Rover
John O. Elliott;
John O. Elliott
1Systems Engineering Section, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109
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Timothy M. Schriener;
Timothy M. Schriener
2Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Health Physics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331
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Keith Coste
Keith Coste
3Mission Systems Concepts Section, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109
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AIP Conf. Proc. 813, 898–905 (2006)
Citation
John O. Elliott, Timothy M. Schriener, Keith Coste; Concept for a Radioisotope Powered Dual Mode Lunar Rover. AIP Conf. Proc. 20 January 2006; 813 (1): 898–905. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2169272
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