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Class: Manned. Type: Lunar Rover. Destination: Moon. Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Manufacturer: Northrop.

Northrop completed Molab Studies under a Apollo Logistic Support Systems contract in March 1964. Alternate cabin designs were considered, but all had an internal chassis and a range of 400 km with a crew of 2 on a 14 day traverse.

Variants of the standard design were:

  • M-1. Front-end airlock. Horizontal cylindrical cabin. 3010 kg, cabin volume 11.33 cubic meters.
  • M-2. Right circular cylinder, vertical cylindrical cabin. Rear end air lock. 2900 kg, cabin volume 11.33 cubic meters.
  • M-3. Horizontal cylindrical cabin. Rear end airlock. 2860 kg, cabin volume 8.5 cubic meters.
  • M-4. Horizontal truncated cylinder. Rear end airlock. 2570 kg, cabin volume 6.51 cubic meters.
  • M-5. Horizontal cylindrical cabin. Rear end airlock. 3170 kg, cabin volume 8.50 cubic meters. Considered best concept of the five.

Crew Size: 2. Mass: 3,170 kg (6,980 lb). Electrical System: fuel cell.

Bibliography:

  • Bendix Corporation, Lunar Surface Mobility Systems Comparison and Evolution Study (MOBEV), Five volumes, submitted under contract NAS8-20334, November 1966..
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