Interstellar Connections| Let's Connect
Let's Connect
Electromagnetic-mechanical docking system
Summary
The project our team has developed in this challenge is a simple and reliable docking system, in where we have used a mechanical lock in combination with a electromagnet that will help with the docking and connection of future spacecrafts, satellites, and other structures that require assembly in space. The system in basic terms works by atracting each of both ends of the structures being asembled with powerfull and compact electromagnets, once they are near one of other and aproach a critical distance the mecanism will be trigerd by the colision of the parts being asembled.
How We Addressed This Challenge
Our project addresses the space connection and assembly problem with a simplistic and reliable mechanisms that triggers itself with the approach and collision of the parts being assembled.
This project Is important because with the amount of factors going on during a connection in mid space we think that autonomous and easier solutions have to be created, we hope to achive that different budget space projects can be able to assemble different structures to form better installations over time, for example let’s say a low budget mission is created, is a satellite that’s going to have some sensors in it for different earth measures, once it’s in space after some years of use we need to add different sensors, so with this simple connection system added on the original satellite it would be able to assemble with a new module in space, without robot arms or other complex systems.
The system works by atracting each of both ends of the structures being asembled with powerfull and compact electromagnets, once they are near one of other and aproach a critical distance the mechanism will be trigerd by the colision of the parts being asembled.
How We Developed This Project
We as a team of young students of different careers of engineering interested in space and innovation choose this challenge because we thought it would be a great idea to participate in a design challenge proposed by Nasa, we saw an opportunity to show to the world how can different people from different careers can combine their efforts into a solution of a real problem that’s required for further space exploration.
The team decided to take a design and functional approach for the solution of the problem, using design programs that we learned how to use last year, in combination with the knowledge of how different geometrys, materials and shapes react to efforts, trying in this way to have a useful design.
For an appropriated design of this mechanism we used design tools such as AutoCAD for some early designs and finally we build the functional model in Solidworks in which we could test and make simulations for an improved design. The biggest problems that we found was the process of designing an idea from paper and discussion into an assembly of different parts that should work properly. And the achievements obtained were new ways of working from home in projects with a team and a final result of which we are proud of.
How We Used Space Agency Data in This Project
We used Nasa engineering pdfs to understand the complexities around the docking systems used in the ISS, so with this information and designs we could inspire our self’s to create a much simpler design not focused on connection of capsules containing humans, and rather being an structural connection system.
Also, we used as inspiration nasas blog information of the SpaceX Crew Dragon autonomous docking system used to dock in the ISS recently.
