Bendix Dual Mode LRV

[Graham1973]

During the 1960's one proposal for the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) was make it so that after the manned mission was over it could be used as an unmanned rover for further exploration. Here is the final presentation report for the Bendix Version.

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19740077559_1974077559.pdf

 

[Triton]

Artist's impression of Bendix Dual Mode LRV.

Source:
http://www.knology.net/~skeetv/SimHist3.html

 

[blackstar]

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[Triton]

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Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator?

 

[Michel Van]

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Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator?

Yes, because Dual Mode LRV needed allot power like for tools like Lunar surface drill
and after the Manned mission for the remote control exploration.
Wat take several months (or several Lunar day and Nights)
so battery or Solarcell were out of question

 

[blackstar]

There's also the two-week lunar night. That wrecks havoc on batteries. Even if you went with batteries and solar power, you'd need a radioisotope heating unit.

 

[Igor B]

Anothe concept of dual mode rover from GRUMMAN is that:

 

[OM]

There's also the two-week lunar night. That wrecks havoc on batteries. Even if you went with batteries and solar power, you'd need a radioisotope heating unit.

...One other thing to consider is that there would need to be some sort of automation and/or robotics to open/close the shutters on the wax packs, which were used on the Rovers as a form of heat sinks. IIRC - and I may have this backwards - the shutters were closed to allow the wax to melt and collect heat from the Rover's instruments, and opened to allow the extreme sub-zero Lunar surface temps in shadow to syphon away the heat and cooled the wax back to a solid, ready to recycle the process when it was time to saddle up and ride. Again, IIRC, this required that the Rover be parked so that the bulk of it was between the wax packs and the Sun, in order to provide as much shadow as possible. I'd have to review the footage from the Spacecraft Films remasterings, but until final ascent the Rovers may have been parked between EVAs in the shadow of the LM to assist in keeping the Rover electronics cooled.

 

[Grey Havoc]

As for what was eventually used: Boeing's Lunar Roving Vehicle

First operationally used 41 years ago today as part of the Apollo 15 mission: http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2009/07/dayintech_0731/

And ye might find the document linked below of interest:

Lunar Rover Operations Handbook

Doc. LS006-002-2H
Prepared by the Boeing Company
LRV Systems Engineering
Huntsville, Alabama
April 19, 1971

Scanning and PDF formatting by Ron Wells.
Last revised 2 November 2005.

Link

(From the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal website)​

 

[blackstar]

As for what was eventually used: Boeing's Lunar Roving Vehicle

I rode around in the Lunar Electric Rover at JSC last week. Even took it into the grass and did the sideslip and the crabbing and some of the other things you can do with independent drive motors. Alas, they wouldn't let me drive it.

 

[OM]

As for what was eventually used: Boeing's Lunar Roving Vehicle

First operationally used 41 years ago today as part of the Apollo 15 mission: http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2009/07/dayintech_0731/

And ye might find the document linked below of interest:

Lunar Rover Operations Handbook

Doc. LS006-002-2H
Prepared by the Boeing Company
LRV Systems Engineering
Huntsville, Alabama
April 19, 1971

Scanning and PDF formatting by Ron Wells.
Last revised 2 November 2005.

Link

(From the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal website)​

...Page 2: "Thank you for buying the world's most expensive R/C Hot Wheels..."

 

[Grey Havoc]

As for what was eventually used: Boeing's Lunar Roving Vehicle

On the General Motors contribution, which was substantial to say the least:

 

[Archibald]

Seems they badly wanted to try the "dual mode" trick on Apollo 17 LRV. Alas, money (as usual) screwed that bold plan. Imagine, Apollo 17 LRV and Lunokhod 3 racing side by side on the lunar surface...

Unfortunately, all I could find is this

Apollo Drawings by James Burns