4 Precursor Mission Design 4.3 Lunar Rover Race - Selected Concept

4.3.3 Mission Description

With this LRR, public interest will be achieved by involving as many people of all ages as possible in all areas of the mission from beginning to end. Schools, universities, companies, individual groups, etc. will participate. Schools will probably not have the resources to build the rovers; however, they can help the major participants by getting involved in competitions in return for prizes, for example VIP treatment at one of the mission control centers.

The race will resemble a cross between a bicycle and a motor car race. This will be similar to the famous Tour de France which involves cyclists completing a number of stages each covering different landscapes and the Paris-Dakar Rally, which involves motor cars travelling at high speed through a harsh environment. Current rover technology could allow the rovers to travel at speeds of around 10km an hour on the moon. Each rover will carry efficient cameras for teleoperation purposes but also for the general public to watch at home or in specially constructed pavilions.

Due to the speeds and the size (200mm by 500mm by 600mm) of the rovers, the latest in high quality micro teleoperational systems will need to be developed. Such technology will be vital for future human exploration. In fact, the rovers themselves will employ the latest in technological design. The lunar landscape due to the craters, possible lava tubes, exposure to cosmic radiation, etc. is a very hazardous location and competitors will need to take this into consideration. Competitiveness by its very nature will trigger off innovative ideas for rover design so that they will be fast, lightweight yet robust. They will be designed to overcome all possible landscapes that can be expected during the race and be capable of dealing with of all eventualities. A more detailed description can be found in section 4.5.

Figure 4-13: Prototype LRI Robotic Antarctic Meteorite Search

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