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Morphlab
Morphlab
Morphlab
American manned lunar rover. Study 2004. Morphlab (Modular Roving Planetary Habitat, Laboratory, and Base) was a lunar exploration system proposed by the University of Maryland.

Status: Study 2004. Gross mass: 3,700 kg (8,100 lb). Height: 4.00 m (13.10 ft). Diameter: 4.00 m (13.10 ft).

It was composed of several modules that would land and assemble autonomously, forming a long duration manned base. Once the manned phase was complete, the modules would disassemble and move autonomously to an alternate lunar site, up to 1000 km away.

During transit, one power module would be connected to two habitable modules to form a vehicle assembly. All three modules would have drive systems powered by the electrical power module.

At a base location, the modules would dock together through inflatable tunnels to form a base with both living and laboratory space. It would then be resupplied and then await another crew for further lunar study. The complete base would consist of six 4 m diameter habitable modules and four power modules. Each habitat module consisted of a habitat unit on a powered chassis, with a total mass of 3700 kg. The use of circular pressure vessels allowed clustering with other units. Electrical power was provided to each chassis, and each module provided its own mechanical locomotion with 4 x 1m spherical wheels. The Dynamic Isotope Power System contained in four separate modules produced a maximum of 20 kw peak power total. The system was designed to fit in current launch vehicles, with a total of 26 Delta IVH launches required to launch the system to the moon. Reserves and redundancy meant that a mission could still proceed even with the failure of 1 power and 1 habitat module. A crew of four would be accommodated on 90 day lunar missions.

.General design constraints for Morphlab were:

16 modules would make up the main Morphlab infrastructure. One launch was necessary for each module. Modules would be built in three categories: habitable (supplying living space for the crew), chassis (wheeled drive trains that would attach to the habitable modules), and power. The Morphlab system would be composed of six habitable modules, six chassis modules, and four power modules.

Crew Size: 4. Electric System: 20.00 average kW.



Family: Lunar Rovers, Moon. Country: USA. Agency: NASA, Maryland. Bibliography: 1995.

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