Let's Connect

For bigger spacecraft capable of executing bigger missions, some of the assembly may be done in space. Your challenge is to design a simple approach that enables components to be assembled in space.

Connecting the dots

Summary

As long as humanity has existed, people have looked up to the stars. They proved to be valuable for navigation, storytelling, also for space exploration. Our passionately curious minds for centuries have wished reaching to the cosmos and building in it. Creating a human-friendly habitat in the space, seems utterly impossible, except that it might not. A tedious but yet exhilarating project is one of the 3D printing blocks on Earth with a light material - Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) plastic. These blocks will be attached to each other through magnetic poles. Magnetic fields are associated with two magnetic poles, north and south, like poles repel, unlike poles attract.

How We Addressed This Challenge

As we tend to explore the space and galaxy further and further bigger and better equipment is required. Large telescopes that are built on Earth

can not be simply transported to space even for research purposes, they must be separated in to modules and reassembled in space. Module assembling in space represents a big challenge especially when it comes to connecting large modules. In regards to this our team came up with a simple concept that would ease the process of module assembling in space. We developed an innovative concept of connecting modules in space using magnetic fields.


The methods that are currently being used to assemble modules in space include robotic hands and sometimes even humans to fully connect the modules, these methods are both expensive and time consuming also not very possible when the size of module increases. Our approach to this problem is generally a cheaper solution and does not need human interaction to complete more complicated connections. With our creative idea modules in space will be able to connect with each other simultaneously without any interaction of other particles (robotic arms). We implemented magnetic particles in modules which will provide automated connection between modules. These magnetic particles are the only connection point of the module, and only require the module to be placed close enough to each other in order to connect. By combining some of the old techniques with our idea the perfect solution is achieved! To bring the modules close to each other it is possible to use robotic arms through AI and image processing so that the modules can be grabbed and moved through space in small distances.


With this simple but innovative idea we hope to speed up the process of connecting modules in space and lower the costs of sending modules to space.

How We Developed This Project

  We've read the plans of NASA for the future and learned that some projects cost too much and they need to find solutions about more practical aproaches to their missions.

This was a unique challenge for us!


We tried to find a inovative way of getting rid of joints and screws and putting into perspective a modern way by studing the electromagnetic field and learning what it could help us with our challenge. We read many posts of NASA posts on their website relating to our challenge.


The one problem was coming with a new way of replacing robotic arms with something more inovative. We thought that using eletromagnetic field could help us connect more parts together far away in space. We spend most time looking for was what is the effect of the gravitional force on our space ships or whether magnets work in space.

How We Used Space Agency Data in This Project


Project Demo


Data & Resources

https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/nasa-knows/what-is-orbit-58.html

https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/internal_resources/914/

https://www.higp.hawaii.edu/prpdc/Clementine_Docs/Space_Vehicle_Mechanisms.pdf

https://www.nextgenscience.org/sites/default/files/How%20can%20a%20magnet%20move%20another%20object%20without%20touching%20it%20%28Distance%20Forces%29%20EQuIP%20Report_2.pdf