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Mars Rover created for iVT wins Good Design Award

“GOOD DESIGN” is the world's oldest and most celebrated international awards program that bestows recognition upon designers and manufacturers for advancing new and innovative products, and for stretching the envelope beyond standard product design. For this year’s awards, the Athenaeum received hundreds of entries from 6 continents, adding to the international importance of this exclusive award.
There is a manned visit to the planet Mars planned for 2037. As a part of that expedition it is necessary to design, transport to Mars, and assemble, two manned Mars Exploration Rover (MER) vehicles. This was the basic design parameter for a project charged to Dr. Steve Casey of Ergonomic Systems Design and the industrial design team at Montgomery Design International by IVT International.

Mars Astronauts will live, eat, sleep, work, maintain personal hygiene, even exercise within the confines of the MER vehicle. Space will be tight, but a typical crew of two to four will have about the same amount of room as in a small motor home. Each rover will be manned by two to four astronauts, but must be capable of sustaining as many as six in an emergency.

The MER is operated from either of the two control stations mounted in the forward cabin. There is also a communication and navigation station within the main cabin. An air lock, also in the main cabin, will serve as the portal for extravehicular activities, and will also provide a buffer from the pervasive Martian dust. An electrically deployed stair rail provides external access and then retracts when in motion. Behind the main cabin is space for two large removable modules, which can be a crew living module, a research lab module, or a crane / drilling module. All modules are interchangeable. Atop each crew module is a 360° degree viewing portal to augment the 360° camera system. External power outlets are located on all four sides.

Despite the obvious drawback, the demand for reliable, electric power will require a nuclear power plant on the manned rovers, as well as on the base station. The design contains a modular Dynamic Isotope Power System located between the rear frame rails of the Rover chassis. Both Rover power plants are removable and will serve as a backup to the other Rover, as well as to the base station.

Overall, construction materials are exceptionally varied. Strength, lightness, and reliability in the harsh Martian environment are of paramount importance, but repairability is also key. The vehicle cabins are made of ceramic-matrix composites. This material can be easily repaired much like fiberglass, and provides significant temperature advantages over metal.

Each of the six wheels of our Rover is electrically powered for redundancy and is independently suspended. The front and rear wheels are steerable for enhanced maneuverability. The sectioned tread bands of the “tires” are a nano-carbon composite material with a Solimide foam core - - light weight but exceptionally strong. The 5 degree wheel and tire camber is set to improve handling and tracking in sandy soil and on side slopes.

At the lower front nose of the MER Rover is a conventional electric winch, and multifunction manipulator arms which are operated remotely from within. Samples can be dug, scraped, drilled, or picked up and placed into the slide-out sample collection drawer that rests beneath the control center.
 

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