The Lunar Rover Vehicle

Wallace E. Finn

EDCI 580 “The History of Spaceflight and Space Technology”

Overview

• Who made the LRV(s)

• How long did it take?

• Specifications

• Testing

• Miles

• Where are they today?

What was the LRV?

• Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) more commonly known as the “Moon Buggy” was a four wheeled rover used on the moon during the Apollo 15-17 missions.

• Developed in only 17 months by Boeing with Delco a s sub-contractor.

• Final cost of $38 million dollars April 1, 1971 for four rovers (and eight models for testing/training.)

• Enabled greater mobility of astronauts during the J-missions of Apollo.

• “…the Lunar Rover proved to be the reliable, safe, and flexible lunar exploration vehicle we expected it to be. Without it, the major scientific discoveries of Apollo 15, 16, and 17 would not have been possible: and our current understanding of lunar evolution would not have been possible.”

-Harrison Schmitt Apollo 17

Roadside Repair

• During Apollo 17. Gene Cernan bumped a fender on the LRV it with his hammer which broke it.

• Ensuing dust from the wheels caused the batteries to work harder.

• A repair was made with EVA maps, duct tape, and Clamps from the LM.

• The clamps were removed and put back in the LM before leaving the moon.

• The maps that were used to repair the fender were brought back to Earth and are now on display at the National Air and Space Museum.