Vehicle driven by astronauts on the Moon (1971–72)
This article is about the Apollo rovers. For the general vehicle category, see lunar rover.
Motor vehicle
Lunar Roving Vehicle
The U.S. Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle from Apollo 15 on the Moon in 1971
Overview
Manufacturer
Boeing
General Motors
Also called
"Lunar rover"
"Moon buggy"
Designer
Ferenc Pavlics
Powertrain
Electric motor
Four .25-horsepower (0.19 kW) series-wound DC motors
Transmission
Four 80:1 harmonic drives
Battery
Two silver-oxide, 121 A·h
Range
57 miles (92 km)
Dimensions
Wheelbase
7.5 ft (2.3 m)
Length
10 ft (3.0 m)
Height
3.6 feet (1.1 m)
Curb weight
460 pounds (210 kg) on Earth
76 pounds (34 kg) on the Moon
Chronology
Successor
Lunar Terrain Vehicle
The Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) is a battery-powered four-wheeled rover used on the Moon in the last three missions of the American Apollo program (15, 16, and 17) during 1971 and 1972. It is popularly called the Moon buggy, a play on the term "dune buggy".
Built by Boeing, each LRV has a mass of 462 pounds (210 kg) without payload. It could carry a maximum payload of 970 pounds (440 kg), including two astronauts, equipment, and cargo such as lunar samples, and was designed for a top speed of 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h), although it achieved a top speed of 11.2 miles per hour (18.0 km/h) on its last mission, Apollo 17.
Each LRV was carried to the Moon folded up in the Lunar Module's Quadrant 1 Bay. After being unpacked, each was driven an average of 30 km, without major incident. These three LRVs remain on the Moon.
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