Proposed lunar surface mobility systems for human colonization appear to be severely limited in speed and payload capabilities. Roving vehicles are massive and move slowly over the rough lunar terrain, at a high cost of energy and life support supplies.

Flying units, powered by chemical rockets are fast, but the price of speed is payload and range. On the other hand, a hopping transporter concept,conceived in the 1960s by Stanford professorHoward Seifert, could incorporate both the conservative use of fuel and a high average surface speed.

In fact, an early investigation of feasibility, with respect to performance capabilities, was carried out. The objective was achieved by studying the dynamic characteristics of somewhat idealized hopping vehicle configurations which were based on assumed conditions and mission requirements.

Two schematicdesigns were investigated. One was a single-crew device assumed to be of minimum complexity and mass. This device is intended to extend the operating range of astronauts on short-duration lunar surface exploration missions.

The other design was a multi-crew transporter capable of making long-range and duration explorations of the lunar surface. Both vehicles employed the technique of accelerating up a thrust-leg, locking this leg to the main body at the end of acceleration, executing a classic ballistic parabola, and finally, decelerating down this leg to complete each hop. Energy could be essentially conserved in this process, thus providing for substantial payload capability, in addition to other performance advantages.

Since lunar surface irregularities do not impede hopping motion, these devices could maintain a high average speed and visit almost any topographic feature of interest within vehicle range. T

his early study investigated influencing factors which affect transporter design and operation, identification of performance limiting phenomena and development of general operating constraints. Calculations of expected hopper performance were based on computer simulations of vehicle dynamics.

Results of hopper simulations for both transporter models indicated the possibility of significant performance improvement over roving and flying vehicles. The smaller device would have offered extended range to Apollo astronauts, up to and exceeding an operating radius of 10 km.

The larger vehicle concept had an average speed of the order of 30 km/hr, much higher than for roving unitdesigns. A unique hopper plane-changing technique was conceived in order to allow high values of average speed over variable terrain conditions. Therefore, within the accuracies of assumptions applied in this study, hopping vehicles could offer superior performance capabilities for lunar surface mobility.

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