IMPORTANT! All Teammates please read!
Hello Teammates,
This is Madison. Just wanted to send out a group message so that we can all introduce ourselves here on the team board portal. Can’t wait to work with all of you, I’m sure we’ll do wonderful things together.
I’ll start with the introductions: I’m a university student studying business at 2 post-secondaries (Harvard and Athabasca University). I also do part-time contract work for NASA’s Planetary Science Division as an executive panelist for developing lunar instruments; and at the European Space Agency as a data analyst.
I have extensive background knowledge relating to NASA and STEM competitions, and I’ve been working on this Mars habitat project for four years. So the graphics are pretty much complete, I’m just putting together some finishing touches before I upload it to Youtube.
Now, I need some talented teammates to do some research about how this model will be able to sustain itself. The goal of this year’s Space Apps Challenge is to integrate 3D printers onto the rockets of deep spaceflight missions so that astronauts on the lunar surface can easily print off materials needed to survive.
The main components are:
- Living Requirements
- Instrument Requirements
3D printers can use many different types of material to construct different things. It can use nylons to create textiles (for things like clothing or habitat tarps), it can use silicone/TPU to construct everyday products and industrial items (such as gel insulation that protects from heat or radiation damage), and it can also use carbon-based materials as well as plastics and metals to construct things like: replacement parts for broken machinery on rovers, sample-taking instruments, solar panels, the space shuttle, or even the habitat itself!
What we need to do is figure out what materials are the most feasible, how much it costs to buy these materials and transport them to Mars, what their mass is and what the power requirements are for a 3D printer. Ideally we want to showcase low-cost and lightweight materials because it's more feasible for spaceflight. We also have to make sure we’re proposing something that’s durable and will not break down in low gravity conditions or drastically hot or cold conditions experienced during spaceflight and re-entry.
How do we accomplish this? We do research! On the Space Apps Challenge guidelines, there are links to OpenSource data provided by NASA and other space agencies around the world. You can start exploring there if you would like. Or maybe you want to conduct some internet research about materials and 3D printers and write up a brief summary about your findings!
https://www.spaceappschallenge.org/resources/
We are always open to brain-storming and new ideas! No matter how much or how little you have to contribute, you are a valuable part of our team, and any type of research or write-up is extremely appreciated.
Recent recruit: Jenan, is going to assist with research.
Recent recruit: Arunabh, is going to assist with research and designing a website for our team.
Here’s a couple of screenshots of the graphics to give you all an idea of what it's going to look like:
The design features three geodesic habitat domes outlined with thermal protection system (TPS) tiles to protect against extreme temperature fluctuations and cosmic radiation; the entire base is powered by solar panels.
The mission includes quarters for up to eight astronauts, a greenhouse and laboratory, a rover, an unmanned space probe to investigate the terrain prior to landing, as well as the actual rocket ship base where the astronauts will land and exit the lunar surface from. I chose the Valles Marineris Canyon for touch down because of its unique terrain and because it is a protected zone from a majority of Mars’ climate events. It provides a safe place to conduct research and the rover can be used to travel longer distances to collect samples.
Now we need to figure out how 3D printers can keep this community going!
Please send me some information about yourself and a picture of yourself so that I can credit everyone’s contributions properly.
If you would like more details or if you have any questions, please DM me on Discord (Dolly#2696) or send me an email: madisonfeehan@shaw.ca
Madison C. Feehan