Lander

From OpenLuna
Jump to: navigation, search

Lander...

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Lunar_Module the LMs weigh in at about 15,000 kg... What a waste of material. We can't do that, we won't do that.

The entire contract also cost something like $11 billion! (in 1969 dollars) (Need a better reference than http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_mission#Manned_missions.)

We can build an large settlement for that.

So, what we are doing instead, is a very lightweight, very low cost operation, built assembly line style. We are not going to build 1 of them, then redesign and build another, we are going to build somewhere in the range of 25 of them.

We want them to be modular enough to allow for a small envelope of changing conditions. (But as it has been pointed out, "Modular only goes do far." - Aftercolumbia) Go to the discussion page for more details.

Lander engines.jpg

Richard Speck of Microspace had been doing most of this work, as he has a mostly operational lander built, but with his untimely demise. the international team is picking up the design and carrying on with it.

12/3/08 Save some weight: lose the landing gear. The lander is designed with dimensions similar to a phone booth. With a space-suited astronaut inside it, the majority of the landing mass is the astronaut. The vehicle would not have anything like the mass requiring structural support on the lunar surface. I don't know what the empty mass for the lander is, but it seems destined to be something the astronaut can readily pick up and carry. . . BCJ lander already... (<50# dry!)

Lander engines 2.jpg


Lander prototype.jpg

By the time we get done with it, it'll probably be in the 75# range, and man rated...

Lander prototype 2.jpg

Emily the webguru is the model.

Rover Deployment.jpg.

(Rover deployment.)

The lander, after it's deployed it's first lander, on it's way to the next drop point!

Lander-rovers approaching south pole.jpg.

Personal tools
Namespaces

Variants
Actions
Navigation
Toolbox