Rover Project for Mars??

Peter · 2001-10-17 10:35:58

Hello,

does someone know, if there's a project for such a car like the 'Lunar Roving Vehicle' of the Apollo missions, which could be driven in some years with the first astronauts on Mars?

see you on Mars

Peter

skywatcher · 2002-01-17 20:57:41

Hi,
Is there a forum for tossing ideas for Rover Vehicles? I am interested in initiating a Open Source Project for designing such vehicles. Every body would be welcome to contribute to the Project. All the components/ ideas would be licensed on the pattern of Open Source Software Licesing. I have put a Yahoo Group under heading mars_osrp ( Mars Open Source Project) Any body interested ??? Pl join this group
Thanks

Phobos · 2003-02-22 19:19:27

I'm still a big fan of a 1960's manned Martian rover project that the USSR had on the boards. It was basically a big rover train that would travel from pole to pole in about a year taking in all of the sights and samples along the way. I think that would be an excellent way to explore Mars. Here's the link http://www.energia.ru/english/energia/m … -1960.html

Algol · 2003-05-01 11:23:12

does anyone know where you can find upo to date information on the polish and australian analogue rover attempts?

nick

srmeaney · 2005-03-19 08:11:43

I suggest mobile Habitats moving between stationary automated refueling stations. It offers a more nomadic life style for colonists. In the event you grow weary of the years of road travel, you can go live in the only city on the planet and grow food.

Dave_Duca · 2017-05-06 08:23:11

Another Posting That's 12 Years Old (I'm seriously enjoying this... lol)

On the drawing boards in my head, was the makings of a hybrid Rover that
is totally electric.
This is powered from Batteries that are maintained by BOTH Solar & Methane Engine/Generator.
Is it too much to ask to have this permanently placed at the MDRS, a working ISRU?

A supply of CO2 could be stocked or, could Carbonengineering_dot_com be contacted
to arrange an outreach project for designing a portable device at the Analog?

We could then mix air with the O2 by-products and also from electrolysis to be
contained and augmented with outside air for running though the engine.

I can imagine an old Golf Cart Engine being converted for this purpose.

SpaceNut · 2017-05-06 11:44:14

Connecting the dots back to your other topic to which I ask under the URC contest
http://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php … 91#p137791

I just fixed the artifacts that were in the other posts from the past forum software as well...So much to do but I am deep into a break job for my car today will come back later.....

louis · 2017-05-06 14:55:09

I was about to post concerning a 98% Mars ISRU Rover design, specifically a design for a small one or two passenger Rover, to be used exclusively around the base on stone-free ground, for transport from one hab to another.

Having watched some You Tube vids of kids bulding Go Karts, I thought this would be well within the capacity of an early settlement.

I was thinking about it having the following features:

- Solid steel frame or steel tube frame. (Would steel tube allow for air heating?).

- Steel spring suspension.

- Chemical battery

- Electric motor

- Drive shaft

- Aluminium wheels or caterpillar tracks.

- Pressurised cabin constructed from honeycomb aluminium and with a basalt rockwool insulation layer (contained in a steel frame). Will have a single small air lock door.

- Cabin air supply system operating off gas cylinders. Good for 60 mins. Most journey times will be less than 5 mins (passengers will also carry emergency air supply on their person).

- Cabin would have its own battery operated heating system.

- No steering wheel column . Front wheel drive to be operated by radio control on a games console style device affixed to the inside of the cabin.

- Cabin to include either a narrow, thick pressure-proof windscreen with dust blowers to keep the windscreen clear, or to be driven by a camera/video screen system with no windows.

- Headlights operating off their own batteries. Brake lights not required. Only one vehicle will operate on the base for safety reasons.

- Max speed - 5MPH. No gears.

Some questions:

In what temperature range could such a vehicle operate? I'd like it to be able to operate in winter (during the lightest hours of the sol - not at night) as well as in summer.

SpaceNut · 2017-05-06 18:51:41

You are right kids will build just about anything into one...

But not like this either

But I think what you are referring to would be more of this style of caging:

In the insitu mode of build we would still need to bring a shorter list of items to make them work...

louis · 2017-05-06 19:57:08

I enjoyed this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TB5N0hElF0

Not exactly from scratch but the right "try and simplify" attitude.

SpaceNut wrote:

You are right kids will build just about anything into one...
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/23 … 84341d.jpg
But not like this either
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/56 … 7423e3.jpg
But I think what you are referring to would be more of this style of caging:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/56 … f20cf8.jpg

In the insitu mode of build we would still need to bring a shorter list of items to make them work...

Dave_Duca · 2017-05-07 06:14:47

You Folks Are Very Resourceful.
"Rover Project for Mars??" Title most likely meant just about anything... sorry.

I was aiming at: URC - Many Rovers - Take a Pick - Put to Use, sort of thing.
- - - - - - - -

OK... actual Rovers for Long Distance EVA

SpaceNut · 2017-05-07 20:34:31

Dave_Duca wrote:

On the drawing boards in my head, was the makings of a hybrid Rover that
is totally electric.
This is powered from Batteries that are maintained by BOTH Solar & Methane Engine/Generator.
Is it too much to ask to have this permanently placed at the MDRS, a working ISRU?

The fork lifts that use propane tanks are just modified gas engines set up to run on it. So I see no problems with coverting any of these hybrid engines to do the same as an underlying starting point for making a new vehicle for mars analog sites to use. Now for the mountainous areas we would want to design it based on a jeep chasis and for mars like a van for the crew to go in.

http://www.survivopedia.com/converting- … tural-gas/

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/ho … tural-gas/

http://gazeo.com/up-to-date/news/2013/T … ,7206.html

https://priuschat.com/threads/toyota-pr … rid.82168/

Its definitely something a junk yard to help with for materials if they got tons on name recognition for supplying the parts to build up such a rig....

Hybrid bioinorganic approach to solar-to-chemical conversion

Dave_Duca · 2017-05-08 08:38:17

Yes Nut, exactly !
A Propane Engine tweaked out for Methane - there we go.

If I had one handy, would send it - free of charge.
... just to see how the Team would evolve.
( emphasis on: evolve )

Take a 4-Seater Golf Cart and trick it out for "simulated pressurized rover"
Yet, another easy task for a Maker Space.

Last edited by Dave_Duca (2017-05-08 08:38:38)

SpaceNut · 2017-05-08 20:35:06

Well if you do not mind pedaling you could always go with the lunar rover approach that Nasa is running...

https://blogs.nasa.gov/moonbuggy/

https://www.nasa.gov/roverchallenge/home/index.html

elderflower · 2017-05-09 03:56:37

A variety of electrically assisted cycles are available on earth. Tyres would be the main difficulty in adapting them to mars or moon service.

RobertDyck · 2017-05-09 06:54:33

Dave_Duca wrote:

Yes Nut, exactly !
A Propane Engine tweaked out for Methane - there we go.

Some cars do operate with natural gas. There were taxi cabs here in my city that used Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) before the Toyota Prius came out. Natural gas is mostly methane, so those cars already burn methane. However, operating an engine with pure oxygen instead of air will fundamentally change combustion.

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#1 2001-10-17 10:35:58

Re: Rover Project for Mars??

#2 2002-01-17 20:57:41

Re: Rover Project for Mars??

#3 2003-02-22 19:19:27

Re: Rover Project for Mars??

#4 2003-05-01 11:23:12

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#5 2005-03-19 08:11:43

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#6 2017-05-06 08:23:11

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#7 2017-05-06 11:44:14

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#8 2017-05-06 14:55:09

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#9 2017-05-06 18:51:41

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#10 2017-05-06 19:57:08

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#11 2017-05-07 06:14:47

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#12 2017-05-07 20:34:31

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#13 2017-05-08 08:38:17

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