High-Level Project Summary
The "T-mars" project was created in order to meet the basic needs of an astronaut who had his forced landing on Mars. To solve the exposed situation, we developed some tools—all designed in a modular way, that is, easily adaptable—capable of repairing and adjusting the rover that was affected by the impact. Within the proposed time frame, some eating utensils were also designed; such as forks that provide the user with the same experience as a spoon, as needed and easily sharpened knives.The object of Space Engineers is to save resources —since they are already in short supply— through these multifunctional and reusable tools.
Link to Final Project
Link to Project "Demo"
Detailed Project Description
For the development, the online 3D modeling platform “Tinkercad” was used, through which we modeled all the tools that we believe are necessary to solve the main problem (adjustment and replacement of damaged rover wheels) avoiding the problem of stones getting inside the wheel thanks to the angular surface of the interior of the wheel.
All the designed tools were thought to be multifunctional and easily adaptable (modular). Therefore, we use the same shank for multiple threaded bits as the base for the tools. We designed universal screws and adapters as a form of standardization to facilitate possible adjustments. An environment for storing tools (toolbox) was also designed, with the aim of organizing objects and saving space for the astronaut. The new wheels that will be used in the maintenance of the rover, from its texture to its functionality, were designed and developed by our team. Within the proposed timeframe, we were also able to design some kitchen utensils such as forks, knives and spoons.
We also think about the mental health of the individual, therefore, we propose and architect a prototype of the "Game of darts", thus promoting a distraction to the astronaut during his stay away from home.
The importance of our project is given through the ability to survive on Mars regardless of the proposed scarcity of resources. We were able to prove, through the development of these tools, that the stay on the neighboring planet would be much more plausible than estimated. The results obtained were satisfactory and fulfilled the expected objective.
Space Agency Data
The databases used as the basis were those made available by the event itself. As our project requires more creativity, most of the tools were made in an authorial way.
However, to understand the context and guide the main ideas of the project, we use the following resources:
https://nasa3d.arc.nasa.gov/models
https://www.nasa.gov/analogs/
https://www.nasa.gov/chapea
Hackathon Journey
Our team started the project without knowing anything about 3D modeling and together we learned how the tool works and how to solve the problems that arose, we realized the importance of taking a step back to be able to take two steps forward when everything seems to conspire against it. The NASA team that made themselves available for mentoring, provided us with an extremely pleasant experience in our first Hackathon, they were always willing to ask questions and give opinions regarding the development of the project in question. Among the things that this event presented us, the main ones were: The development of our critical senses regarding problem solving; Awareness of the need to think about the future and situations of possible occurrences; Improved communication and teamwork; Increase and encourage creativity.
References
https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/rover/wheels/
google images
https://www.tinkercad.com/things/cW23LCId7BN-fantastic-wluff
Tags
#3DModel, #art, #surivalconcept, #moontomars, #nasa