Lunar Roving Vehicle LRV-001 '71

Lunar Roving Vehicle LRV-001 '71
Appears in	Gran Turismo 6
Interior in GT6	Detailed
Manufacturer	Gran Turismo (in-game) Boeing (real-life)
Drivetrain	4WD
Engine	4 Delco electric motors
Max Power	3 BHP
Performance Points	172 PP
Max Torque	18.9 lb-ft
Top Speed	20 mph (32 km/h)
Length	122 inches (3,100 mm)
Height	44.8 inches (1,140 mm)
Weight	210 kilograms (460 lb)
Power/Weight Ratio	70 kg (150 lb) per horsepower

The Lunar Roving Vehicle LRV-001 '71 is a historic vehicle produced by Boeing on behalf of NASA. The vehicle was deployed and driven on the Moon during the 1971 Apollo 15 mission. Similar vehicles were later used on Apollo 16 and Apollo 17 missions in 1972. It appears in Gran Turismo 6, where it is listed as a Gran Turismo vehicle.

Colors

There is only one color scheme defined for this vehicle, though it is normally unseen:

• DefWHITE

In-game Description

As the vehicle was never meant to be added to a player's Garage, or available to purchase from the Dealerships, this rather informative and educational mass of text is normally hidden:

The Apollo Project ran from 1961 to 1972, in which time they completed six successful missions to the moon. NASA needed something to cover a lot of ground on the moon in a short amount of time, so they prepared an automobile-like machine to accompany the astronauts into space. Thus, the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), was loaded onto Apollo 15, 16, and 17, and driven on the moon’s surface. Because it had to be carried in the Lunar Lander before driving on the moon, the LRV is extremely light and compact. The chassis consists only of an aluminum floor panel reinforced with corrugated sheets, and its full length is approximately 122.0 inches. On top of the chassis are a pair of two-legged folding seats, a control unit, batteries, cameras and antennas. On Earth, the total weight of the LRV is 210 kg, but because that weight effectively reduced to 35 kg on the moon’s reduced gravity, the vehicle is light enough for an astronaut to lift on his own.

The LRV is propelled by in-wheel motors powered by a silver-zinc battery. Four-wheel drive and a four-wheel steering system allowed both front and rear wheels to turn and steer independently. The tires are metal wire mesh, with herring-bone-shaped aluminum plates wrapped around the tread surface for traction. The crew members would settle into the car, then operate the car using a T-shaped controller. The image of the LRV driving on the moon’s surface has been recorded on historic film footage.

With the cancellation of Apollo 18 and later flights, the role of the LRV ended after three missions. But this is a truly historic vehicle-one that was driven on a celestial body other than Earth for the first and only time in human history.

Trivia

• Unlike many vehicles, the Lunar Roving Vehicle cannot be purchased at any dealer, and it cannot be owned by the player.
  • Furthermore, given the vehicle's nature, it can only be driven in Lunar Exploration and not on Earth where normal gravity is present.
• Interestingly, if a garage editor is used to add this vehicle to the player's garage, one can see that it has complete statistics, like any other vehicle. It comes equipped with Comfort: Soft tyres, and can accept all other tyre types, but cannot be tuned or repainted.
• The name "LRV-001" refers to NASA's mock license plate assigned to the rover and carried by astronaut David Scott during the Apollo 15 mission; NASA's official designation for the rover is simply "LRV".

Pictures

A close-up of the LRV's control panel