Michigan Mars Rover Team
Encyclopedia
The Michigan Mars Rover Team was created in March 2000 with two main goals. The first was to design, build, and test prototypes of a pressurized Mars rover for a human mission to Mars. The second was to inspire and educate students about space and Mars exploration.
. The group started a team led by and made up of students from the University of Michigan
. Most of the students are undergraduates in engineering and all volunteer their time to work on the project. Several teams around the country competed for the chance to win $10,000 and begin construction of their design. The team from the University of Michigan won this competition and quickly began planning how to build their first prototype called Olympus.
Using a simple mock-up made of plywood
and cardboard they were able to make some initial design decisions about the size and layout of the interior. They also continued to work on theoretical research to determine how their layout would fit with the design requirements of future rover prototypes.
The next stage of the project was to create the first full-scale prototype rover, Everest. The rover was based on an FMTV, donated by the US Army TACOM. The FMTV was a four-wheel drive flatbed cargo truck. The team removed the flatbed and added the living cabin onto the frame rails. This vehicle has gone through several iterations of interior design, increasing in fidelity each time.
After construction of Everest was completed in the summer of 2003, they took it to the Mars Desert Research Station
in Utah
where it was used in mission simulations and experiments to determine how people will live on and explore Mars. They also took Everest to many events and local schools where they were able to show the rover to students.
The team has continued to work by focusing its efforts to semester-long projects. Each semester a group of students work to design a specific subsystem of the rover such as the airlock, sample storage system, or fuel tanks. They are required to research the subsystem, create a design, and submit a design proposal to a review committee. If they pass the review, they are given funds to create a prototype of the design that will be presented at the end of the semester.
Team history
The creation of the team was inspired by a call for designs of a pressurized Mars rover by the Mars SocietyMars Society
The Mars Society is an international space advocacy non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the human exploration and settlement of the planet Mars. It was founded by Robert Zubrin and others in 1998 and attracted the support of notable science fiction writers and filmmakers, including Kim...
. The group started a team led by and made up of students from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. Most of the students are undergraduates in engineering and all volunteer their time to work on the project. Several teams around the country competed for the chance to win $10,000 and begin construction of their design. The team from the University of Michigan won this competition and quickly began planning how to build their first prototype called Olympus.
Plywood
Plywood is a type of manufactured timber made from thin sheets of wood veneer. It is one of the most widely used wood products. It is flexible, inexpensive, workable, re-usable, and can usually be locally manufactured...
and cardboard they were able to make some initial design decisions about the size and layout of the interior. They also continued to work on theoretical research to determine how their layout would fit with the design requirements of future rover prototypes.
The next stage of the project was to create the first full-scale prototype rover, Everest. The rover was based on an FMTV, donated by the US Army TACOM. The FMTV was a four-wheel drive flatbed cargo truck. The team removed the flatbed and added the living cabin onto the frame rails. This vehicle has gone through several iterations of interior design, increasing in fidelity each time.
After construction of Everest was completed in the summer of 2003, they took it to the Mars Desert Research Station
Mars Desert Research Station
The Mars Desert Research Station is the second of four planned simulated Mars surface exploration habitats owned and operated by the Mars Society.-Background:...
in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
where it was used in mission simulations and experiments to determine how people will live on and explore Mars. They also took Everest to many events and local schools where they were able to show the rover to students.
The team has continued to work by focusing its efforts to semester-long projects. Each semester a group of students work to design a specific subsystem of the rover such as the airlock, sample storage system, or fuel tanks. They are required to research the subsystem, create a design, and submit a design proposal to a review committee. If they pass the review, they are given funds to create a prototype of the design that will be presented at the end of the semester.