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Boeing began work on the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) in 1969 in support of NASA's planned Apollo "J" lunar-landing missions. These missions used additional Lunar Module weight capability to carry the folded LRV, additional science experiments, and additional life support materials for stays of up to three days on the lunar surface. LRVs were used on the Apollo 15, 16, and 17 missions in 1971-72, which explored the Hadley Rille, Descartes, and Taurus-Littrow regions of the Moon, respectively. The Apollo 17 LRV travelled the greatest distance, a total of 22.2 miles on three traverses in December 1972.
The battery-powered LRV was specially designed to meet the demands of extended lunar exploration and featured computerized navigation, a portable television system capable of sending color images back to Earth via satellite, the ability to carry almost four times its weight, and special wire-mesh wheels capable of navigating the difficult lunar surface. Additionally, special materials provided the LRV protection from lunar temperatures ranging from -200°F to over 200°F. It proved to be a robust vehicle and greatly expanded the possible zone of exploration from each landing site.
The Museum's LRV was built by Boeing as an engineering mock-up, used for form/fit checkout and astronaut demonstrations. It was donated by the Friends for Long Island's Heritage in 1991.
Boeing began work on the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) in 1969 in support of NASA's planned Apollo "J" lunar-landing missions. These missions used additional Lunar Module weight capability to carry the folded LRV, additional science experiments, and additional life support materials for stays of up to three days on the lunar surface. LRVs were used on the Apollo 15, 16, and 17 missions in 1971-72, which explored the Hadley Rille, Descartes, and Taurus-Littrow regions of the Moon, respectively. The Apollo 17 LRV travelled the greatest distance, a total of 22.2 miles on three traverses in December 1972.
The battery-powered LRV was specially designed to meet the demands of extended lunar exploration and featured computerized navigation, a portable television system capable of sending color images back to Earth via satellite, the ability to carry almost four times its weight, and special wire-mesh wheels capable of navigating the difficult lunar surface. Additionally, special materials provided the LRV protection from lunar temperatures ranging from -200°F to over 200°F. It proved to be a robust vehicle and greatly expanded the possible zone of exploration from each landing site.
The Museum's LRV was built by Boeing as an engineering mock-up, used for form/fit checkout and astronaut demonstrations. It was donated by the Friends for Long Island's Heritage in 1991.
Now located in: APOLLO
