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DESIGN OF AN INTERNATIONAL SPACE ASSEMBLY STATION INCLUDING MULTIPLE ASSEMBLING ROBOTS
Summary
Our design is building a platform to do assembling in space. According to the resources gave we found that bigger robot arms and solid trusses are used to build things in space. NASA has already planed a method of getting things to space using rockets by part by part and place them on another station to queue the assembly. To get parts for assembling from the queue station, string attached grabber robots can use as astronauts are walking in space. In that way when parts were gathered from the queue station to this new assembling station, the assembling can be done. Except for using one robot arm, we can use multiple robot arms to decrease the time to do the assembly.
How We Addressed This Challenge
What did you develop?
According to the NASA resource video the method of getting things to space using rockets part by part and place them on another station to queue the assembly sequence. Our developed platform is an Assembling Station where those queued objects are joined together.
Why is it important?
The electro magnetized robotic arms can be used to hold components and parts, because of that, and with the multiple robot arms, objects with various shapes can hold and assemble. Due to the moveable ability of robot arms bigger objects can hold.
If a huge amount of parts and equipment are held in the same location in space. This platform can be brought in to that location rather than spending more money and time to take those parts to a huge assembly spacecraft.
What does it do?
It will hold the parts, it can easily adjust to the size of the parts sent from earth, can do assembling like mounting, screwing, locking, Docking using the robot arms. The electromagnetic arms in robots can use to hold parts.
How does it work?
• Four satellites (which are situated at the corners of the structure) are sent to space including power circuits with solar panels, all the controlling panels for robotic arms, and the communication circuits.
• After that, trusses and arms are sent to the space using another shuttle several times, and four satellites are attached using trusses with existing methods like doing by human hand.
• Again, the shafts and robot arm base blocks that are needed to move robot arms are sent again using rockets and attach them to the truss frame.
• Finally the robot arms send and attached them to the blocks. (These blocks are move through the drive shafts by the Pulleys attached inside the block).
• All the robot's arms are work using batteries that are charged by using solar panels.
What do you hope to achieve?
• Remove manpower need, to do new assembly like satellites.
• Reduce time taken for assembling.
• Reduce the risk of omitting parts into space while assembling and docking.
How We Developed This Project
Our team is consists of people who are talented in Mathematics, Electronics, and Mechanical. So we decided that this is the most relevant challenge for us. We used some mathematical models when thinking about the structure, mechanical and electrical knowledge, and drafting knowledge. We use Solid Works software to build the drawn prototype model. We didn’t have what is assembling in space at first but we solved and gather more new knowledge by searching and working as a team.
How We Used Space Agency Data in This Project
The resources given by the organizers gave us a huge inspiration. The NASA YouTube video titled “Building in Space! On-orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing” which is in resources made a big change in our thinking pattern. The following sites lead us to valuable data.
· https://asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/open-data/access-the-data.asp
· https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/technology/in-space-assembly/
· https://www.nasa.gov/missions/science/zipnuts.html
· https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/internal_resources/948/
· https://www.nasa.gov/feature/langley/robotic-arm-gets-a-workout
· The questions in the In-Space Servicing and Assembly (iSSA) article provides us the needs in future space operations.
· https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/internal_resources/837/ this video inspired us the most to create not only space robots but also ground robots for factory usage.
· https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/technology/gap-lists/ this article also provides valuable information for our future development planes.
Data & Resources
· Societyofrobots.com. 2020. How To Build A Robot Tutorials - Society Of Robots. [online] Available at: <https://www.societyofrobots.com/robot_arm_tutorial.shtml> [Accessed 3 October 2020].
· Quora.com. 2020. What Should I Learn To Build A Robotic Arm? - Quora. [online] Available at: <https://www.quora.com/What-should-I-learn-to-build-a-robotic-arm> [Accessed 4 October 2020].
· Richards, L., 2008. NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)2008364NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS). Washington, DC: NASA Center for Aerospace Information Last visited June 2008. Gratis URL: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/. Reference Reviews, 22(8), pp.40-41.