Our Surface Vehicle (SV) will be quite large because of the spaciousness of the VentureStar cargo hold. Image 1 displays the relative sizes between a human and the vehicle.
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| Image 1: Surface Vehicle |
The center part of the vehicle will be a rechargeable battery. Below that will be the drivetrain connected to four wheels. The entire vehicle will have a mass of 10,500 kg.
The battery will hold a charge of 576 kW and will operate at a power consumption level of 6 kWh. This yields a duration of 96 hours or 4 days of continuous operation.
The SV will begin life tucked away in the VentureStar cargo bay (Image 2). The tires and receptors will be folded.
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| Image 2: Surface Vehicle folded |
Once on the lunar surface, the wheels unfold (Image 3), then the receptors unfold (Image 4).
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| Image 3: Surface Vehicle with wheels unfolded |
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| Image 4: Electrical receptors / unpressurized docking ring unfolded |
The receptors are unpressurized docking collars with electrical outlets to power accessories.
A secondary battery can be attached to one receptor (Image 5) for increased performance. This battery pack will have a mass of 5,250 kg. This configuration will increase the duration to 20 days between recharges.
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| Image 5: Surface Vehicle with extra battery pack attached |
This SV design will provide a robust platform for reuse and commonality. The total mass of this configuration is 15,750 kg.
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Several options are available with this design. These options will cause the SV to have an overall mass of 21,000 kg.
Option 1 (Image 6) has an extra battery, also with a mass of 5,250 kg, attached for even greater performance capabilities. Three batteries means 30 days of continuous operations.
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| Image 6: SV Option 1 - Two Batteries |
Option 2 (Image 7) makes the SV into a crane that can lift any payload on and off the Lunar Vehicle (LV). The crane module will have a mass of 5,250 kg with a 360–degree swivel capability. The crane will be able to lift a maximum of 10,500 kg.
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| Image 7: SV Option 2 - Crane and Battery |
Option 3 (Image 8) has a backhoe module attached, which will also have a mass of 5,250 kg.
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| Image 8: SV Option 3 - Backhoe and Battery |
The 4th and final option (Image 9) will be a combination of the two excavation attachments.
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| Image 9: SV Option 4 - Crane and Backhoe |
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