Final Project

Aaron A.

Legislator:  Manny Najera, Representative

Rovers are spacecrafts can make detailed observations of a planet's surface.These crafts contain observation tools to record the conditions and finding in areas unexplored previously. Some such tools are robotic and mining tools to collect samples. The first rovers used on a mission to the moon were the two Soviet mobile vehicles, the Lunokhods, which landed on the Moon in November 1970 and January 1973. The Lunokhods were remotely controlled roving vehicles that carried television cameras and instruments to measure the physical and chemical properties of the lunar soil.

The rover used by the United States on the moons’ surface was the marvelous Lunar Rover, designed and built by the Boeing Company and NASA's Marshall Spaceflight Center. The Rover was a lightweight vehicle, weighing 70 pounds on the Moon. It was battery-powered and had a potential range of about 50 kilometers. On level ground, the Rover was capable of traveling up to 12 kilometers per hour and, when one added to the driving time the time spent on Rover deployment and housekeeping chores, the savings over a walking traverse was not particularly impressive. However, because the astronauts used far less oxygen, feedwater, and physical energy when they were riding than they did when they were walking, use of the Rover meant that they arrived at the geology stops rested and refreshed and with a far greater stock of consumables than they would have had otherwise.

This new rover is will be able to carry out duties far greater than the rover that came before it’s time. The initial design is based to look like a scorpion, an animal that can handle terrain similar to the land that can be found on Mars. Using technology developed by Mark Tilden of Los Alamos to create non-digital robots that can mimic the behavioral patterns of animals the Scorpio Rover will be well equipped to handle most anything.

The entire rover is quite definitely the largest of it’s kind. Taking up the space of about two moderate suburban homes and approximately two and a half stories high, not including tail height. With the tail included the towering monster of a rover will reach nearly five stories high.

Let us begin there, the tail is equipped with a razor sharp, pick axe type point. Similar to a scorpions, but non-venomous. This will be used in it’s mining capabilities, destroying of objects that may obscure passage, and collecting samples. Above the striking part of the tail is a control room.

This is where the main controls that operate the tail will be located and may only contain one person at a time.

Traveling down the ladder that contained inside the tail will take you to the garage like deck that contain two single passenger flying vehicles for traveling out of the craft. The smaller crafts can exit and enter using the landing strip located on the top of the scorpion body.

Traveling one floor lower will bring you to the main deck. Through the main deck there can be found small emergency living quarters, labs where on site testing of samples may occur,  and towards the front the Main control room. Here the leader of the crew will control the actions and movements of the legs that propel the rover across the terrain. and the two front grappling claws that collected samples, move objects and are used for mining. Inside the right claw is small observation deck that does not contain any controls, but an excellent view of what the claws are doing.

Going back the ladder at the rear of the main, if taken down another level it will take you to the engine deck that contains all the fuel operations and equipment to the solar panels located on the sides of the rover. The mechanics of the claw-like legs that propel the rover are also located here.

In the event that there is a mechanical problem a member of the crew can go there to attempt to fix it.

With the combination solar panels and liquid fuel source the rover can go many days and great distances without having to worry about refueling. The small living quarters also provide adequate sustenance to the small crew of three for days as well. This allows the crew to do more work and research away from the colony for extended periods of time.

Bibliography

"Brian Rudo. "Robotic Life on Mars?." Online. Internet:

http://www.redcolony.com/mission/rovers.html

 

"Exploring the Planets Tools of Exploration." Online. Internet:

http://www.nasm.edu/ceps/etp/tools/tools_rover.html

 

“Spacecraft, Suits, and Rovers.” Online. Internet:

http://www.solarviews.com/eng/apoengin.htm#rover

Last Updated:  09/10/01