Disabled transport vehicles

Transportation has been addressed earlier in other sections with the general usages being grouped into daily transportation, yard work and multi-day scientific or survey work. Each vehicle had a specific individual purpose such as heavy yard work or scientific exploration but all vehicles were designed and equipped as emergency vehicles as well.

Emergency support was to provide air, electrical and transport capabilities to an entire crew of the next larger vehicle. 

If you look around on the internet at the general design of Mars vehicle concepts they are quite fanciful, and large. It will be decades before any vehicles of these proportions are lifted to Mars so a more logical, smaller design needs to be developed first. These smaller vehicles should be designed for emergency runs and generally restricted a small area around the initial landing site. 

Extended excursions during the first 2-3 landings would be ill advised.

Although each vehicle has its own functional purpose in a colonial environment the reality of an airless, hostile or toxic environment dictates that each must also be serviceable as a rescue vehicle. The general considerations and concepts shown here apply to various size vehicles with some being applied to all vehicle types.

1.         Onboard air supply / recharge tanks (2)

2.         Air tanks detachable and cartable by one person

3.         Air board for umbilical and air supply switching

4.         Anchoring bolts 

5.         Universal trailer hitch compatible with all vehicles and trailers

6.         Rear mounted winch and cable

7.         Attachable to vehicle tow rings

8.         Attachable to suit D Ring (Rescue)

9.         Towing strength TBD per vehicle

10.        Roll cage

11.        Multiple energy sources

12.        Radio and antenna – signal send receive helmet to radio to colony

13.        Canopy attached to roll bar for tenting

14.        Solar and wind electrical recharging on board

15.        Night lights and spotlight ( for rescue)

16.        Static grounding and discharge

Looking at this list you may wonder why some of these particular design elements would be needed.  Considering the general barren locales, the lack of assistance available in an emergency etc. you will come to realize the needs for each. 

An exercise you can do is print out this list of 16 basic design features then write beside each one what situations the item would cover. Consider the terrain, the atmospheric conditions (or lack of) as well as general emergencies.

Here are a few concept designs I have found for off-world transportation.

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