![]() The in-space SEV also includes manipulator arms and an airlock, for handling satellites and other objects of interest. The surface SEV allows the cabin to be removed, so that the chassis can be used to carry payloads or driven by astronauts in spacesuits. These protected suitports keep the astronauts' suits outside, allowing a spacewalk to start in ten minutes. For both the surface and in-space versions of the SEV, astronauts can work in shirtsleeves in the safety of the vehicle's cabin, and when they need to, or want to for exploration missions, they can quickly enter and exit their spacesuits through suitports. The crab style steering allows the vehicle to turn on a dime with a zero turning radius and drive in any combination of forward and sideways. Its wheels can move sideways in a "crabbing" motion, one of many features that make it skilled at scrambling over rough terrain. › View video The view from cockpit and the ability to "kneel" make it easy for astronauts to get close to objects they want to examine without having to leave the cabin. Image Credit: Regan Geeseman › View high-res image The vehicle frame was developed in conjunction with an off-road race truck team and was field tested in the desert Southwest with 140 km of driving on rough lava.ĭuring the 2008 Desert RATS tests at Black Point Lava Flow in Arizona, engineers, geologists and astronauts came together to test the surface version of the Space Exploration Vehicle. The surface SEV is designed to require little or no maintenance, be able to travel thousands of miles climbing over rocks and up 40 degree slopes during its ten year life. Likewise, the in-space version of the SEV would have the same pressurized cabin on a flying platform it too would allow two astronauts to stay on-site for 14 days. It's about the size of a pickup truck (with 12 wheels) and can house two astronauts for up to 14 days with sleeping and sanitary facilities. The surface exploration version of the SEV has the cabin mounted on a chassis, with wheels that can pivot 360 degrees and drive about 10 kilometers per hour in any direction. The Space Exploration Vehicle (SEV) concept is designed to be flexible depending on the destination the pressurized cabin can be used both for in-space missions and for surface exploration of planetary bodies, including near-Earth asteroids and Mars. ![]() NASA is now testing concepts for a new generation of vehicles, building on lessons learned from the Apollo missions as well as the unmanned rovers on Mars. If you want to do productive exploration anywhere in space, you'll need a suitable vehicle. ![]() › Follow simulated missions with the Space Exploration Vehicle on the Research and Technology Studies (RATS) website The in-space version of the Multi-Mission Space Exploration Vehicle at NASA's Johnson Space Center. NASA has selected Venturi Astrolab to test and analyse the Venturi wheel at the NASA Glenn Research Centre in Cleveland and the NASA Johnson Space Centre in Houston.Next Generation Vehicle for Space Exploration Driving New Tech Here On Earth The wheel will also have to be able to travel over 1,000 kilometres and withstand the high levels of radiation at the South Pole. Venturi Group to shoot for the moon in 2026Īll while travelling at 20 km/hr. The Venturi model is able to deform considerably, while remaining tough and robust.Īs of 2026, when the FLEX rover is put into service at the lunar South Pole, where temperatures range from -90☌ to -230☌, the four wheels supporting the 2-tonne mass of the vehicle will absorb the unevenness of the surface, by deforming. With the exception of the Apollo missions, the vehicles used over the history of space exploration have always been fitted with rigid wheels. As a reminder, this spacecraft is currently used for transporting payloads and will be taken to the Moon in 2026 by SpaceX’s Starship rocket. Just the thing for the Venturi Astrolab FLEX rover.
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