Lunar and Planetary Rovers: The Wheels of Apollo and the Quest for Mars

Anthony Young9780387307749, 0387307745

When President John F. Kennedy announced America’s plan to land on the Moon, he threw down the gauntlet to the Soviet Union. The race to the Moon was on, and thus began development of manned lunar roving vehicles that culminated in the LRV used on the last three Apollo missions to the Moon. Lunar and Planetary Rovers is the first book to give the history of the race to develop the vehicle to be used on the Apollo 15, 16 and 17 missions. It includes many hitherto unpublished, historic photographs, and fascinating quotes from the men who actually drove the Lunar Roving Vehicle on the Moon.But the history of the LRV did not end with the Apollo missions. Using exclusive interviews with engineers and managers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory the book gives a vivid description of the Martian robotic rovers, Sojourner, Spirit and Opportunity. Finally, it looks at NASA’s new Vision for Exploration which will employ new manned rovers on the Moon, and into the future with the planning of manned missions to Mars.