Blindfire321
Febrovery: NASA MEV and Hopper
With the groundbreaking Human Landing Systems program in the 2020s and 2030s leading to the successful landings of humans on the Moon via privately developed spacecraft, a number of successor programs launched providing funding for commercial companies to develop useful technologies for future NASA missions. Two of these programs–the Mars Human Landing Systems (MHLS) and Manned Mobility for Mars Missions or Quad-M–were tremendously successful, leading to two winning designs which would support human landings on the red planet by 2040.
The winner of the Quad-M program was the Manned Excursion Vehicle or MEV. A joint project of commercial space and heavy vehicle corporations, the MEV was a 6x6 cargo transport with a pressurized cabin capable of supporting two crew for moderate durations. The MEV cabin featured a small storage area for supplies and experiments in the rear near the primary access hatch, as well as an auxiliary ladder in the front bubble cockpit. On the roof are communication antennae and auxiliary power generation via solar panels. The all-glass cockpit contained the control systems and provided excellent visibility for the crew. At the copilot station are controls for the starboard manipulator arm, which could collect surface samples, carry out experiments, or move obstacles out of the way of the vehicle. In the rear of the MEV was a flatbed with a utility crane for carrying bulkier supplies or base equipment.
Alongside the MEV, the MHLS program resulted in the Reusable Landing Vehicle or RLV, also known as the Hopper. As its name suggests, this was a reusable single-stage spacecraft capable of ferrying a full crew of five astronauts from the Ares mission mothership in orbit to the surface of Mars and back. It was a utilitarian, somewhat barebones design featuring a pressurized capsule sat atop a simple propulsive landing system with an aerodynamically shrouded docking port, and orbital maneuvering system. Landing capabilities were provided by four small grid fins mounted below the docking port and deployable rocket engines and landing legs on the bottom of the craft, above the heat shield.
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My (first ever!) entry for Febrovery 2024. I was chiefly inspired by the rover from The Martian, although the cockpit section of the MEV is very heavily inspired by this awesome design by Nick.
Febrovery: NASA MEV and Hopper
With the groundbreaking Human Landing Systems program in the 2020s and 2030s leading to the successful landings of humans on the Moon via privately developed spacecraft, a number of successor programs launched providing funding for commercial companies to develop useful technologies for future NASA missions. Two of these programs–the Mars Human Landing Systems (MHLS) and Manned Mobility for Mars Missions or Quad-M–were tremendously successful, leading to two winning designs which would support human landings on the red planet by 2040.
The winner of the Quad-M program was the Manned Excursion Vehicle or MEV. A joint project of commercial space and heavy vehicle corporations, the MEV was a 6x6 cargo transport with a pressurized cabin capable of supporting two crew for moderate durations. The MEV cabin featured a small storage area for supplies and experiments in the rear near the primary access hatch, as well as an auxiliary ladder in the front bubble cockpit. On the roof are communication antennae and auxiliary power generation via solar panels. The all-glass cockpit contained the control systems and provided excellent visibility for the crew. At the copilot station are controls for the starboard manipulator arm, which could collect surface samples, carry out experiments, or move obstacles out of the way of the vehicle. In the rear of the MEV was a flatbed with a utility crane for carrying bulkier supplies or base equipment.
Alongside the MEV, the MHLS program resulted in the Reusable Landing Vehicle or RLV, also known as the Hopper. As its name suggests, this was a reusable single-stage spacecraft capable of ferrying a full crew of five astronauts from the Ares mission mothership in orbit to the surface of Mars and back. It was a utilitarian, somewhat barebones design featuring a pressurized capsule sat atop a simple propulsive landing system with an aerodynamically shrouded docking port, and orbital maneuvering system. Landing capabilities were provided by four small grid fins mounted below the docking port and deployable rocket engines and landing legs on the bottom of the craft, above the heat shield.
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My (first ever!) entry for Febrovery 2024. I was chiefly inspired by the rover from The Martian, although the cockpit section of the MEV is very heavily inspired by this awesome design by Nick.