Forty years after man’s first steps on the moon, and Canadian astronaut Julie Payette’s second flight aboard the Space Shuttle, we thought the timing was right to produce a short piece about the first vehicle that even circulated on the Moon’s surface!
Designed, built and used during three Apollo mission in the early ‘70s, the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) was a vehicle used on the Moon. The LRV was an electric vehicle, a really popular topic these days!
The “car” was destined to be used on the Moon, so it was impossible to have it powered by a thermal engine nor to have it shod on tires inflated with air.
Four “lunar jeeps” were built, one each for the three Apollo missions, and one that was used for spare parts after the cancellation of further Apollo missions.
The program was awarded to Boeing. The specifications asked for the vehicle to operate in the low-gravity vacuum of the Moon, to be capable of rolling on the lunar surface, as well as operate and withstand extremely high and low temperatures.
The “Rover” was developed in only 17 months. It is not nice looking to be honest, and it is clear Pininfarina had nothing to do with it!
The price tag is quite high at $9.5m each. Jeez. And for that, there’s no roof, no doors, no side panels, no fenders, no windscreen, no airbags, no cup holders, almost nothing!
The frame was made of welded aluminum alloy 2219 tubing assemblies and consisted of a three-part chassis which was hinged in the center so it could be folded up and hung in the Lunar Module bay.
The LRV was 10 feet (3 m) long with a wheelbase of 7.5 feet (2.3 m), and the maximum height was just 3.75 feet (1.1 m). It had a mass of just 463 lbs (210 kg) but was able to carry 1080 lbs (490 kg) if payload. Not bad for an out-of-space SUV!
The suspension consisted of a double horizontal wishbone with upper and lower torsion bars and a damper unit between the chassis and upper wishbone. Fully loaded the LRV had a ground clearance of 14 inches (35 cm).
But to be honest, the ride was rough. The LRV was fitted with two side-by-side foldable seats made of tubular aluminum with nylon webbing and aluminum floor panels. They looked like garden chairs. The seatbelts used… Velcro to secure the passengers!
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Designed, built and used during three Apollo mission in the early ‘70s, the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) was a vehicle used on the Moon. The LRV was an electric vehicle, a really popular topic these days!
The “car” was destined to be used on the Moon, so it was impossible to have it powered by a thermal engine nor to have it shod on tires inflated with air.
Four “lunar jeeps” were built, one each for the three Apollo missions, and one that was used for spare parts after the cancellation of further Apollo missions.
The program was awarded to Boeing. The specifications asked for the vehicle to operate in the low-gravity vacuum of the Moon, to be capable of rolling on the lunar surface, as well as operate and withstand extremely high and low temperatures.
The “Rover” was developed in only 17 months. It is not nice looking to be honest, and it is clear Pininfarina had nothing to do with it!
 |
The price tag is quite high at $9.5m each. Jeez. And for that, there’s no roof, no doors, no side panels, no fenders, no windscreen, no airbags, no cup holders, almost nothing!
The frame was made of welded aluminum alloy 2219 tubing assemblies and consisted of a three-part chassis which was hinged in the center so it could be folded up and hung in the Lunar Module bay.
The LRV was 10 feet (3 m) long with a wheelbase of 7.5 feet (2.3 m), and the maximum height was just 3.75 feet (1.1 m). It had a mass of just 463 lbs (210 kg) but was able to carry 1080 lbs (490 kg) if payload. Not bad for an out-of-space SUV!
The suspension consisted of a double horizontal wishbone with upper and lower torsion bars and a damper unit between the chassis and upper wishbone. Fully loaded the LRV had a ground clearance of 14 inches (35 cm).
But to be honest, the ride was rough. The LRV was fitted with two side-by-side foldable seats made of tubular aluminum with nylon webbing and aluminum floor panels. They looked like garden chairs. The seatbelts used… Velcro to secure the passengers!
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