Array

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/131pffd63fd7nJcXvNMcqIFKoBdqd67WF?usp=sharing

https://youtu.be/1Xc4BOCuJtE

ARRAY

1.   Introduction

A group of astronauts recently arrived on the Red Planet. His habitat has been pre-built, but aside from three 3D printers, he doesn't have most of the things he needs to live, work and develop a normal life. He is challenged to design tools, furniture, and other items that will help them on his mission for a year. In addition to this, a Rover wheel has been damaged which must be replaced as it´s shown in figure 1.

Fig. 1 (destroyed rover wheel)

Mars is a cold desert planet. During the 24.6 hours of the day, temperatures can reach up to -129 C° at night and up to 0 C° during the day and it has a gravity of 3,721 m\s2.

Analyzing the needs and challenges of developing a home on Mars, 5 basic elements for survival on the Red Planet were established.

·        Furniture: Developing an innovative way to develop furniture that can me multitasking and reduce que amount of materials they consume giving them many uses.

·        Wheel: Developing a rover wheel that can be printed in the 3D printers that we are given off, making it functional, viable and a good solution in the long term so that the rover can accomplish its mission effectively.

·        Garage: Designing a garage is important for the mission, because it is needed a refuge for the rover where it can be safe of the sand storms and where the rover can have proper maintenance and prioritize easy processes for the crew. 

·        Work table: For the mission it is important to the crew to have a working table where they can do many things with a great amount of storage.

·        Tools: An essential thing that is needed for accomplishing the mission is that you can develop a multitask tool where you can reuse some items to create others and make it viable to take those tools and using them for daily tasks. 

2.   Our Idea

a.   Furniture: We innovated in the development of a piece that, when connected to its peers, allows us to generate any type of structure made up of right angles. With the advantage of being repeatable, reusable and multifunctional.

Fig2. two( Array piece)

The part called ARRAY consists of a rectangular plate that has sphere-shaped couplings and joints where the sphere enters in two states. In the first state, the sphere is connected to the first circumference that allows generating 90° movements with a space between the plates, once the angle at which it is desired to be coupled has been chosen, the sphere is entered into the second state, where it enters a lock point.

Fig. 3 (Stage 1)

Fig. 4 (stage 2)

Thus, being able to generate any type of structure, such as the table shown below, and many other things that you need in your daily basis life, like chairs, beds, shelves, the possibilities are infinite, and if the crew don´t need a piece of furniture anymore they can just dissemble it and creating a whole new one. With this solution we provide also a great advantage of printing a single piece many times where the process is easier not only for the printer but to the crew, saving time and efforts.

Fig. 5(Table desing)

b.   Wheel:

 The wheel was developed according to Rover Perseverance and Curiosity specifications where both of them had objectives and a mission to fulfil like exploring the surface of mars and recollect data about possible habitat conditions for future missions, both of different years and sizes the Curiosity and the Perseverance are the base for our project to develop a new kind of wheel, innovate and improve the way rover explorations are made.

By developing a design that can be printed on the conditions of the habitat where we only have three 3D printers this piece is built under the concept of being able to be more efficient and being completely disassembled. This allows us to print each piece separately, making it easier to repair the wheel in case of damage, where if the rover gets damaged you don´t change the hole wheel but the piece that was damaged, reducing materials and making the wheel more efficient in the long term.

Fig. 6(Previous mission wheel)

·        Surface: Constructed of fifteen printed plastic pieces, which by connecting three of them we get five structures with a thickness of 3cm for greater durability, joined at each point by two M2-type hexagonal head bolts.

·        Middle structure: Five curved pieces that make up the rigid structure that connects the surface with the base, guaranteeing the cylindrical shape of the rim. Base: Central part of the rim made up of two pieces that allows to connect with the hub of the wheel of the rover

·        Base: Central part of the rim made up of two pieces that allows it to be connected to the rover's wheel hub.

                Fig. 7(Array wheel design)

Fig. 8(Basic wheel component)

Fig. 9(Wheel component)

Fig. 10(Wheel component 2)

Fig. 11(Wheel component 3)

c.    Garage: We developed a prototype of a garage for the that facilitates the repair of the rover and that allows the creation of a safe place where it can be stored in case of facing any adverse situation that could damage it. This garage will be located behind the principal habitat of the crew so that the garage can resist winds of many directions and be a safe place for the rover. This garage is also foreseen to be a maintenance station for the rover, so that it could be easier for the crew to repair the rover, for this we have also developed a concrete ramp, that is designed to be a useful for the crew, so that they can repair the rover even sit or standing making it easier and more comfortable to make reparations. 

Fig. 12(Garage design)

Fig. 13(Ramp design)

d.   Work Table: Having a place to work is essential we had to generate a highly comfortable and functional work space. That allows the crew to carry out the various tasks in an effective and organized way, being able to efficiently do their work and fulfill their tasks. Having a lot of storage to dispose.

Fig. 14(Table Work Design)

e.   Tools: Tools are of vital importance (fig. 2) to be able to carry out different jobs, repair and do daily tasks efficiently. Analyzing the amount of material that we dispose of and the various tools that are needed, it was determined that it is essential that the tools be multipurpose, taking advantage of the little amount of metal that we have as raw material. That’s why we created a tool that has many uses and that can accompany you in your daily activities. 

Fig. 15(Multiuse tool)

·        Handle: There are three modules or pieces that are joined by means of a thread, each one of them is completely independent from one another, allowing each handle to add another piece and form other tools (fig. . 16).

Fig. 16(handle)

·        Pickaxe: This module presents a firm pickaxe that allows various activities that require a sharp element to be carried out. It also has two fastening points that allow it to be connected to handles or other tools (fig. 17).

Fig. 17(Pick)

·        Shovel: Being in a mostly desert environment, there is a need for a shovel that allows the rock or obstacles to be removed. In addition, it has two types of cutting elements that allow separating objects of different thickness (fig. 18).

Fig. 18(Shovel)

·        Wrench: It is designed in such a way that it fits with the hexagonal bolts, created for the assembly and placement of the Rover's wheel. In turn, it is designed together with an L-shaped pivot that allows generating the required angle to cause the necessary torque (fig. 19).

Fig. 19(Caps Screw)

3.   Conclusions:

After having developed all the requirements and investigations for the challenge, it has been possible to achieve effectively our objectives and determine viable solutions based on the 5 objectives that we had as a group. Developing viable and functional viable products, that are functional and viable to a life on mars. All the metrics and data were used that were foreseen by NASA in order to be within the operating limits of the printers and adapt all the solutions to the environment of Mars.

●    It was possible to conclude and design efficient pieces that allow the generation of any type of figure of right angles, this being a feasible solution for the design of any type of furniture required in the space station.

●    It was possible to generate multipurpose tools allows us to save material and space, thus having a tool that allows us to perform a variety of tasks required in daily life on the red planet.

●    We developed a completely removable tire printed within the margins of the 3D printers arranged in the station. Thus, having a feasible short- and long-term solution for the damaged tire of the mission rover.

●    It was determined prudent to design and implement a garage that allows greater comfort and ease when doing the maintenance and protection of the rover.

●    Finally, it was necessary to develop a comfortable work environment, due to its great importance within the mission for the astronauts, where storage spaces make it easier to carry out manual and force work.

*The images refered in the document are in the drive link of the team.

• The data provided by the NASA was very useful, we have applied it to develop our own wheel using the data provided for the Perseverance rover, it was an inspiration for our team and for our ideas. Where all the previous data helped us develop a solid idea and a full functional wheel for our project. 

Reference information used for the Rover's spare tire design was taken from: https://nasa3d.arc.nasa.gov/models

• All the other data was used to develop our project and being realistic about the conditions that astronauts face in their missions. We used that information for developing good ideas and useful tools that actually work for the mission. 

Much of the guidelines that were taken into account for the development of the tools and furniture of the challenge were obtained from: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20200001427/downloads/20200001427.pdf

• It is essential to learn about the environment in which the mission will take place, in this case Mars. The information provided helped a lot to know the conditions for the survival of the astronauts and the materials available for construction or repairs. It was also very interesting to see information on what the surface of the planet is like in order to have an idea of the conditions to which the rover's wheel would be subjected.

Kenneth: My name is Brandon Kenneth Bonilla Ormachea, a Mechatronics Engineering student. I had a great experience, being able to put myself in the shoes of an astronaut who has to survive on Mars was very fun and interesting because it is a small action that can signify the human's ability to inhabit other planets.

I always liked survival and technology, two things that this challenge combines. I was able to give free rein to my imagination and together with my team we were able to generate many pieces for different uses.

I was also able to meet new people and not only meet new friends, but also expand my network.

The whole event was a mixture of emotions between good and bad moments and thanks to that I have the feeling that I am on the right path since these types of events where everything is put together to generate solutions to a real problem make me feel live.

Sebastian: My name is Sebastian Castro Rivas, a Mechatronics Engineering student. My experience was super rewarding, we spent hours discussing, thinking, laughing and dreaming of being an astronaut on Mars.

Susana:I am Susana Camacho Lobo, a Systems Engineering student at the Gabriel Rene Moreno Autonomous University in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Thanks to Mujeres TICs Bolivia I became aware of the Space Apps Challenge and was motivated to participate. I really enjoyed being part of the Hackathon, it's the first time participating in one and it was a great experience, it had a lot of fun.

Juan: My name is Juan Antonio, a student of the career of ING Electronics, the experience I spent at the NASA Space apps challenge has been truly unique because seeing my colleagues shape ideas and concretize them in a harmonious way among all, for me it was very enriching, to share criteria with them in order to solve the silver problems and overcome them.

Camila:  I am Camila Monje, I am an MBA student and the hackathon challenge has been a new experience to my life, I learned a lot of skills and met new friends during the event and I have been able to imagine solutions to problematics nowadays, I have learned a lot of skills like leadership and empathy, it has been a completely amazing experience. The challenge that my team developed was brilliant, and we had many ideas, after all we decided to develop multitask tools and reduce the amount of material that is used. And one day maybe our tools could be in a real expedition to mars.

●       Canva Pro - An Online Graphic Design Tool: Try Canva Pro Free. (nd-a). Canvas. Retrieved October 2, 2022, fromhttps://www.canva.com/q/pro/?clickId=wRuTjcwRmxyNUYD3vyR5h1y%3AUkDT-EUO-TgE3Y0&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=Neefla%20Technologies%20Ltd._387082&irgwc=1&v=11

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