Last Updated . Click "Updates" above to see the latest.

Lunar Rover

Background

The Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) or Lunar Rover occupies a prominent place in the history of the vehicles in planetary exploration. It was an electric-powered vehicle designed to operate in the low gravity of the Moon, and allowed the Apollo astronauts to extend the range of their surface extravehicular explorations. The LRV was populary known as the "moon buggy". The LRV was produced by Boeing, and the final cost of the three fully functional LRVs was $ 38 million dollars in 1971 (450 million today). Three LRVs were driven in the Moon: in the Apollo 15 mission during 1971, and Apollo 16 and Apollo 17 during 1972.

Astronaut Harrison Schmitt said, "....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."

The Lego Lunar Rover Project

This model is a detailed version of the LRV using the minifig scale and built with Lego Digital Designer.

In the model you can see many details of the LRV as the color television camera, the television control unit, the 16 mm camera, the two batteries, the lunar communication relay unit, the high gain antenna, the low gain antenna, the pannel control, the T-shaped handle that controls the movement of the rover, detailed seats, two sample collection bags, lunar hand tool carrier and the surface electrical properties (SEP) antenna.

The set includes two astronauts with geologic tools for sampling the lunar surface.

I put great care in reproducing the details of the original LRV in this lego model, the result left me very happy and so I share it with other fans of Lego, space exploration, science and cars.

You can find high resolution pictures on my flickr album:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk6ZQ4du

One of my first projects was also a Lunar Rover, made with real pieces (https://ideas.lego.com/projects/74480). However LDD versatility allowed me to create this new model, using a different construction system, I think I have achieved a better end result, more accurate and the pictures are of better quality than my first attempt.

Your comments are welcome, if you like it, please support the project.

Kind regards

Luis

------------------

Other related Lego Space Exploration projects

If you like the Lunar Rover, be sure to visit my other Lego Space Exploration Projects:

Sputnik 1957, the first artificial satellite. https://ideas.lego.com/projects/81706

Soyuz Spacecraft, a minifig scale model of the Soyuz 7K-OK (1967 variant),https://ideas.lego.com/projects/88562

Saturn V and Launch Facilities, https://ideas.lego.com/projects/88991

Apollo 11, an accurate reproduction of the CSM Apollo and lunar module Eagle.https://ideas.lego.com/projects/84718

Apollo 11 Rescue Mission. A set about the rescue ofthe astronauts and recovery of the Apollo 11 command module in the Pacific Ocean. https://ideas.lego.com/projects/86997

Apollo Soyuz Mission 1975 (minifig scale). The first joint US-Russia mission.https://ideas.lego.com/projects/89624

Voyager Mission 1979-2014. https://ideas.lego.com/projects/82995

Orion Exploration Flight Test 2014, https://ideas.lego.com/projects/87437

- - -

Software used in this project:

Virtual model building:

Lego Digital Designer (LDD), http://ldd.lego.com/en-us/

Pictures rendering:

LDD2POVRAY, http://ldd2povray.lddtools.com/

POVRAY, http://www.povray.org/

Custom decals design:

Inkscape, https://www.inkscape.org/en/

Artstudio

About the Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle:

Boeing LRV Systems Engineering, Lunar Rover Operations Handbook,http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/lrvhand.html

NASA, The Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle, http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo_lrv.html

A Brief History of Lunar Roving Vehicle, https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/MSFC-LRV.pdf

Lunar Roving Vehicle: Historicals Origins, Development and Deployment,https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/lrv_historical_origins.pdf

More LRV Documentation, https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/alsj-LRVdocs.html