A&AE 450 – Senior Design Un-pressurized Surface Vehicles, Local Science Issues and Robotic Exploration February 13, 2000 Christopher Burnside

Order of Presentation Vehicle Designs Mars Dune Buggy All Terrain Vehicle Nuclear Reactor Vehicle Multi-Purpose Trailer Vehicle Communication and Navigation Science Robotic Exploration Future Direction

Vehicle Design -- MDB Mars Dune Buggy Designed for higher speed surface mobility Emergency vehicle to return to base One-way range of 1000 Km Provisions for safety (extra oxygen, fuel, water) Small “web-cam” style camera for the people of earth to see Mars Exploration in near-real time Methane or Methanol can be used with a Carbon Dioxide buffer

Vehicle Design -- MDB 2.3x1.3x2 m (LxWxH) 1 m ground clearance Main structure elements are a beam structure and is an open frame Structure ~350 Kg Fuel ~ 125 Kg for 1000 Km sortie Total weight ~ 475 Kg 45 hp engine (based on Earth vehicles) Designed to fit on the MPT

Vehicle Design -- ATV All Terrain Vehicle Carry a complement of 2 vehicles Short-range science from Base or Pressurized Rover One-way range of 100 Km Emergency Oxygen tank is present Methane or Methanol can be used

Vehicle Design -- ATV 2x1x1 m (LxWxH).5 m ground clearance Main structure is an open beam frame Structure ~ 160 Kg Fuel ~ 25 Kg Total weight for 2 vehicles ~ 370 Kg 25 hp engine (based on Earth vehicles) Designed to fit on the MPT

Vehicle Design -- NRV Nuclear Reactor Vehicle. Designed to hold 30 tonnes due to launch and entry loads. Mount the reactor right on the frame. Use the reactor to power the electric motor. Short-wave communication to move it from earth ala Pathfinder method. Video cameras from base used in navigation. Autonomous navigation is 2 nd option. Wait for Astronauts to get there to move it is the 3 rd option.

Vehicle Design -- NRV 5x2x1 m (LxWxH).5 m ground clearance Main structure elements are: (2) 2x.028x.1 m (2) 5x.028x.1 m Structure weight Main structure = 105 Kg Other weight ~ 300 Kg Total weight ~ 400 Kg

Vehicle Design -- MPT MPT (Multi-Purpose Trailer). Designed to hold 5 tonnes of equipment, rovers, and Martian rocks. Can be hitched to any of the vehicles with the exception of the NRV which has no reason to use the MPT. Customizable – meaning the sides can be removed for easy storage, transport to Mars and large payloads. Full complement of straps and tie-downs included in the tool compartments. Simple 1 axial design and a crank hitch for stability. Pivot for easy loading of the rovers and any large items which can be rolled onto the bed of the trailer.

Vehicle Design -- MPT 2.4x1.2x1 m (LxWxH).5 m ground clearance, but can be increased with a larger set of wheels if desired. Main structural elements are: (2) 2.4x.028x.1 m (2) 1.2x.028x.1 m Structure Weight. Main structure = 60 Kg Other weight ~ 60 Kg Total weight ~120 Kg

Rover Com and Navigation Satellite is the main communications method. Rely upon NASA having a satellite infrastructure built. Short-wave radio is good backup for limited bandwidth (>200 bps). Inertial and satellite navigation are primary, but either can function without the other. Base has an emergency beacon which can be picked-up by the rover using a directional antenna.

Science Equipment for science mission Under 10 KW of power consumption Computers, microscopes, electron microscopes, mass spectrometry, plant biology, drilling equipment, ovens, lab utensils (beakers, test tubes),sample isolation equipment, chemicals, saws, X-ray diffraction machine, scales, Sample containers, etc. Working Mass ~ 1500 Kg

Science Experiments which can be performed Chemical composition via mass spectrometry Volatile gases contained in the samples (what is and was the Martian atmosphere made of.) Search for microfossils with microscopes and electron microscopes Soil processing for greenhouse plants Meteorological sciences

Robotic Exploration Size Gondola 1x1x1 m cube Balloon 24 m 27 Kg of Hydrogen per balloon Total weight ~37 Kg At this size we can take a lot of balloons Want to take a dozen balloons and launch one every 45 days Reasonable life span of 25 days.

Robotic Exploration Airplane. Feasibility is not good at least for a first mission to Mars. To big and cumbersome to fly. Needs a large turning radius. Speed is incredible to stay in the air. Once it crashes its done, there is no recovery from a downed plane.

Near Future Cool names for all of the vehicles. Decide what equipment is most important and can survive the trip to mars intact. More design of rovers. Determine actual experiments which can be done by the astronauts using the equipment available.

Conclusion 6 surface vehicles going to Mars; each class serving a unique purpose. Satellite Communication is primary, short-wave radio is secondary. Satellite and Inertial navigation is primary, short-wave radio is secondary, beacon is ternary. Balloons and Airplanes are 2 types of robotic exploration under consideration.

Conclusion Total Mass ~ 3300 Kg