Nebergall, Kent1 (2005)
When Earthmover Is A Misnomer: Construction Vehicle Design For Lunar And Martian Applications
Preprint.
Mars Direct requires that the Earth Return Vehicle (ERV) carry a truck that can take a reactor several hundred meters away from the ERV. It must also string the power cables between the reactor and the ERV [1]. This paper goes into detail on the requirements for this truck and a design that should meet those requirements. This design is a lightweight semi-autonomous construction vehicle able to do excavation and equipment relocation around a landing site. The vehicle consists of three work sections - a "robonaut" front end, a middle flat bed for carrying heavy equipment, and a backhoe for excavation, road clearing, and lifting and placement of items in the flat bed area. The basic design could be adapted for many uses, with or without a crew present, on Earth, the Moon, or Mars.
Utilizing Martian Resources
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by
Jean Lagarde
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last modified
2006-11-19 10:49
Copyright © 2005 by Kent Nebergall. Published by The Mars Society with permission.