Design and Testing of a Demonstration Prototype for Lunar/Planetary Surface Landing Research Vehicle (LPSLRV)
This is a student use site for the Utah State University MAE5930 course for orginization and reporting on the design and development of an LPSLRV.
About our Project
Main>About us>Project Motivation
Once apon a time we went to the moon. Now it's time to go back but the truth is we can't put a man on the moon anymore. The technology we used to go to the moon is outdated or non-existant. Most of the technical expertise that made going to the moon possible has retired.
Our project is funded in part by a NASA grant. We're studying methods to simulate and train people to go back to the moon.
It is our intent to turn in a report to the NASA systems engineering paper competition.
The rest of this page is information indirectly supportive of our project.
LCROSS found water on the moon.
It is a common held misconception that after we went to the moon our spaceprogram sat on it's heels and hasn't really done much. If you feel like this go check out google mars, it's like google earth were you can go and pull up satellite pictures of your house, only your looking at satellite pictures of mars. The only really interesting thing to look at since you can't find your house on mars is to zoom in on our little rovers.
"President Obama has launched an “Educate to Innovate” campaign to improve the participation and performance of America’s students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This campaign will include efforts not only from the Federal Government but also from leading companies, foundations, non-profits, and science and engineering societies to work with young people across America to excel in science and math."
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education/educate-innovateDr. Whitmore has recently taken a job with Sierra Nevada working on this project. With the cancellation of the constellation program and the space shuttle aging out comercial enterprises are going to have to keep the American space program in space. Private buisnesses will be able to continue space exploration cheaper and more efficiently. And as it was pointed out to congress on NASA TV the other day, space exploration has always been in the hands of private American industry. Bell Systems built the lunar lander trainer (featured on the main page). Northrop built the LEM that landed on the moon. What this means for us is that we will still be completing our project but it will be a little more work for us as students while Dr Whitmore is in Colorado. It also means hopefully that for some of us this will mean jobs with our favorite teacher.