PCBAC

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1pVP735QsHRTUodolRAsgjOH1r6emnbkV?usp=sharing

https://youtube.com/shorts/i_30ST9RD3o?feature=share

Our System:

         Finally, we realized that the pressure on Venus could be of use to us. Consider we had an empty box, wind would briefly flow in for a very short time before the pressure inside the box became equal to that of Venus’ atmosphere, stopping the wind flow. If a turbine were in that box, it would spin for a brief period, however, how would we allow it to spin continuously? Increasing the pressure inside the “box” to force the air to flow out to the comparatively low pressure on Venus, thus prompting more air to flow in through the original opening, would allow the wind flow to sustain itself. We had already established that cooling the air to make it denser and thus increase the pressure was not an option, so we decided to compress it. Taking inspiration from internal combustion engines, which force air and fuel into chambers to combust and thus generate power, we adapted a device called a turbocharger. In internal combustion vehicles, this device relies on the exhaust gasses from the engine to spin a turbine connected to a compressor wheel. This compressor wheel in turn draws air in from the outside, and compresses it so that more oxygen will fit in the combustion chambers and create more power. This system then, uses the flow of gas to draw in more gas and compress it into chambers. The connection was clear in our minds, that initial burst of wind would substitute the exhaust gases, and that compressor wheel would draw the air that was already in the system rather than fresh air to be compressed. Thus, our power system was effectively divided into two parts, a turbine that spins due to the flow of gasses and later expels those gases, and a compressor that uses the spin of the turbine draws air in and expels it in a compressed state. A generator would be attached to said turbine and also benefit from the spin to continuously supply power to the rover, eliminating the need for batteries which would certainly fail on Venus. This generator, though, would only produce alternating current, while the rover requires direct current to function. The conversion from AC to DC will be done using a diode bridge to unify the positive and negative poles of the generator in all of its states. The DC current flowing out of the diode bridge would still not be as uniform and smooth as ideal, so we employed capacitors to rectify this problem. This system's crowning achievement is that it provides a way to continuously and reliably generate power for unmanned missions, thus eliminating failures akin to some that have occurred in the past. The principles of this system could also be deployed in other high pressure environments, such as deep underwater. Thus, our completed system had the ability to turn the hurdle that is the crushing pressure of Venus's atmosphere and turn it into the driving force behind what will be a great step for the advancement of humanity. We believe that this project, among others, will be the stepping stones to reach greatness. We hope that our solution will help NASA reach Venus and finally learn its secrets. Because, not only does figuring out why "Earth's Twin" is a hellish landscape devoid of life while earth is an oasis in this seemingly otherwise empty universe top the list of burning questions in many scientists and space agencies minds, but it is also the first step towards understanding what exactly leads to the birth of worlds like ours. To bring our idea to life, we had to make the best use of all the tools at our disposal, on top of acquiring new skills. We used 3D modeling programs such as Tinkercad to visualize our thoughts.

Diagrams:

      •2D diagram of our system that visualizes its basic function.

•3D model of the one-way valve design that we have decided to use.

         The diaphragm, colored in gray is bigger than the opening of the inner hole of the ring on the outside. This will prevent the diaphragm from moving outwards. However, channels for it, colored in white, will allow it to move backwards when pressure is applied, creating an opening for air to flow in. This is a rather simple design that will allow air to flow only in the desired direction within the system.

•Completed 3D representation of the system.  

We used data from NASA to learn of the conditions on Venus and consequently develop a general idea of the system's requirements. As we learned from NASA's data that no batteries would function on Venus and that the system would have to generate power constantly to make up for that. We also used data from NASA's past missions to Mars to better understand the challenges that such a mission would entail and the standards the power system would be held up to. NASA's Mars missions also helped us eliminate certain power generation methods such as solar from our list of potential energy sources. We came to this conclusion due to the failure of solar powered rovers in the past. NASAs Mars missions also inspired us to look into thermoelectricity after we learned of their use of multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generators.

 PCBAC has a deep love for sciences, and we strive to eliminate the stigma that they are nothing more than a set of formulas and headache inducing, unrealistic problems. We chose the "Exploring Venus Together" challenge as it lined up with our love for science, ingenuity, creativity, and curiosity. We believe that it is of utmost importance for people like us, the youth, who will inevitably inherit this world, to take on tasks such as these. For humanity is, at its core, an inventive race, and we would not be staying true to our natures if we rejected this innate desire for invention and discovery. We also find the concepts of exploring space and the universe around us fascinating, because, as advanced as we think we are, we will never be certain whether we are truly apex predators and masters of our fates or if we are comparable to maturing infants in the grand scheme of the universe if we do not take these undeniably challenging and even scary steps towards advancement.

Our approach was to try and turn the harsh condition of Venus, which most would see as challenges to be overcome, into advantages, which eventually prompted us to make use of the high pressure on Venus. We undoubtedly were faced with many setbacks, though focus, determination, and will eventually got us through the stressful hours. This hackathon journey has undoubtedly been a remarkable experience in all of our lives and we will certainly look back at these days with pride for a long time. We were definitely taught new skills and forced to adapt by the pressure of approaching deadlines and the stress of rising standards. We learned to be creative, to cooperate, to thrive under pressure, and most importantly, to be humble throughout these 48 hours. Despite the stress, we still enjoyed ourselves and consider everything we have done so far to be worth every bit of effort, and we are excited for future chances to be a part of such amazing events. In addition, the local lead, the team, and the campus were all nothing short of extraordinary. We hold nothing but deep feelings of respect and admiration towards all the individuals who had to suffer sleepless nights and immeasurable stress to bring us this experience. In the end, we would like to thank everyone who has worked towards turning this event into reality. 

https://techport.nasa.gov/view/92914

https://sbir.nasa.gov/SBIR/abstracts/21/sbir/phase1/SBIR-21-1-S3.03-3308.html

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/935/science-comic-dust-storm-on-mars/

https://mars.nasa.gov/internal_resources/788/

#Hardware #Venus #Space #3DModel #Physics #USEK