Pressurized Rover for Lunar Surface Exploration
- Paper number
IAC-07-E2.1.08
- Author
Mr. Jeffrey Apeldoorn, Technical University of Delft (TUDelft), The Netherlands
- Year
2007
- Abstract
The pressurized rover for lunar surface exploration was the subject of my Masters thesis for the faculty of Aerospace Engineering, which is part of Delft, University of Technology. The Masters thesis was partially performed at the Human Spaceflight, Microgravity and Exploration Programmes Department at ESA ESTEC. The Masters thesis work entails the design of a pressurized rover to support humans with their return to the Moon shortly after 2020. More specific, during the Masters thesis a preliminary design is made of all the major subsystems of the rover after which an in-depth study is performed into the mobility system of the rover. The pressurized rover will be comprised out of a cylindrical pressure vessel with spherical end-caps and will have a total weight of about 6 mt. The total length will be close to 8 meters and it will have a diameter of 3 meter. For its power provision it will be using a combination of generative fuel cells with an additional solar panel configuration. The solar panel configuration will provide the power for the electrolyse process and will use an innovative construction which consist out of one solar panel on the top of the rover and a solar panel on each flank of the rover. The latter panels will be able to unfold during resting periods to attain the most optimal position w.r.t. the Sun. The total power system will be able to provide 10 kW of continuous power and will have a reserve battery pack for peak loads. The rover is equipped with a wheeled locomotive system, in which each wheel has a separate electric drive mechanism and a diameter of 1.5 meters. For docking to a future base the rover will be equipped with a docking port and EVA’s will be possible by the presence of an airlock in cooperation with an EVA hatch on the rear side of the rover. Scientific experiments will be possible by the aid of two manipulating robotic arms and activities like plowing, drilling and digging will be possible by an innovative tool mechanism on the front side of the rover. Furthermore the possibility exists to attach an extra trailer to the rover via a tow bar on the rear side of the rover. The design requirements for the rover are to take on a crew of 3 persons for missions up to 14 days, at a maximum range of a 1000 km. During emergencies a total of 6 crewmembers should be transported. The maximum attainable speed during missions with nominal crew size will be 15 km/h. In conclusion it can be said that an innovative and highly functional rover concept has been generated which has the necessary manoeuvrability to cope with the rough lunar terrain, is able to perform various scientific experiments and can aid in the establishment of the future lunar base. Furthermore the design entails some innovative solutions which have not been implemented into past design work.
- Abstract document