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Lunar Flyers
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Lunar flyers would use rocket power to get crew or cargo quickly from one point on the lunar surface to another. The larger versions could act as rescue vehicles to get crew members to lunar orbit for pick-up and return to earth. Their horrendous fuel requirements meant that they were mainly considered for one-use rescue missions - for example to return a crew from a disabled lunar rover, beyond walking distance back to their lander. Some Apollo variants proposed using leftover propellant from the Lunar Module descent stage to fuel such flyers.
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LEAP
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LEAP was an early 1960's British design for getting disabled astronauts on the lunar surface quickly to lunar orbit for ferrying home.
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LFV Bell
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Bell Aerosystems designed a rocket-propelled Lunar Flying Vehicle (LFV) to aid Apollo astronauts in their exploration of the moon. The LFV, nicknamed "Hopper," would be able to travel about 80 km from the lunar module.
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MFS
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Bell Aerosystems designed a Manned Flying System for Apollo as a tool for lunar surface exploration. The Manned Flying System would be able to transport an astronaut and about 136 kg of equipment (or two astronauts) for distances up to 24 km from the original landing site.
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MOBEV F1B
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The MOBEV F1B one-man pogo flying vehicle was the selected configuration for the one-man pogo application from three alternatives. Maximum operational mass with astronaut and payload, 258 kg.
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MOBEV F2B
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The F2B was the MOBEV selected configuration for a multi-man surface-to-surface flying vehicle. Maximum operational mass with 2 astronauts and payload, 844 kg.
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MOBEV F2E
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The MOBEV selected return to orbit vehicle, F2E, was provided with six degree of freedom control for rendezvous as well as normal attitude control. Maximum operational mass with 2 astronauts and payload, 1364.5 kg.
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LFV North American
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The North American design for a Lunar Flying Vehicle would have taken one astronaut and up to 167 kg of cargo to a distance of 3.2 to 8.5 km from a lunar landing site in minutes, at a maximum speed of 85 m/s. By August 1969 it had been taken up to the level of preliminary design, complete with component drawings and specifications. Although slated for use in an Apollo Lunar Surface Rendezvous and Exploration Phase dual landing missions, these were cancelled, and it was never taken into the hardware stage.
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Conditions for use of drawings, pictures, or other materials from this site..
To contact astronauts or cosmonauts.
© Mark Wade, 1997 - 2007 except where otherwise noted.
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