A system of two or more Small Pressurized Rovers (SPRs), also referred to as Lunar Electric Rovers (LERs), is an integral part of NASA's plans for returning humans to the moon. In the SPR concept, each vehicle includes a small pressurized cabin to safely sustain two crewmembers on the surface for 14 to 28 days. Through suit ports, crewmembers may rapidly egress and ingress the cabin for EVAs. In addition to achieving a surface exploration range that is potentially orders of magnitude greater than what was achievable during the Apollo Program, the SPR concept offers many other benefits, particularly with respect to the health, safety, and productivity of crewmembers. The primary purpose of the DRATS 2008 field test, at Black Point Lava Flow in Arizona, was to objectively and quantitatively compare the scientific productivity and human factors during 1-day exploration, mapping, and geological traverses performed using SPR and Unpressurized Rover (UPR) prototype vehicles. The habitability, human factors, and performance characteristics of the SPR vehicle and crew were also recorded throughout a high-fidelity 3-day lunar traverse simulation. Quantitative assessment of crew productivity by on-site expert field geologists found that compared with UPR traverses, the same crewmembers were 57% more productive during SPR traverses and used 61% less EVA time. The habitability and human factors of the SPR throughout the 3-day traverses was acceptable, although suggested modifications to several vehicle subsystems were identified in the assessment.
Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS) 2008: Evaluation of Small Pressurized Rover and Unpressurized Rover Prototype Vehicles in a Lunar Analog Environment
2010
131 pages
Report
Keine Angabe
Englisch
NTRS | 1992
|NTIS | 1992
|A pressurized rover for early lunar exploration
AIAA | 1992
|