To save on fuel and reduce aircraft emissions, engineers are looking to build lighter, stronger airplanes out of advanced composites. These engineered materials are made from high-performance fibers that are embedded in polymer sheets. The sheets can be stacked and pressed into one multilayered material and made into extremely lightweight and durable structures.But composite materials have one main vulnerability: the space between layers, which is typically filled with polymer “glue” to bond the layers together. In the event of an impact or strike, cracks can easily spread between layers and weaken the material, even though there may be no visible damage to the layers themselves. Over time, as these hidden cracks spread between layers, the composite could suddenly crumble without warning.Now, MIT engineers have shown they can prevent cracks from spreading between composite’s layers, using an approach they developed called “nanostitching,” in which they deposit chemically grown microscopic forests of carbon nanotubes between composite layers. The tiny, densely packed fibers grip and hold the layers together, like ultrastrong Velcro, preventing the layers from peeling or shearing apart.In experiments with an advanced composite known as thin-ply carbon fiber laminate, the team demonstrated that layers bonded with nanostitching improved the material’s resistance to cracks by up to 60 percent, compared with composites with conventional polymers. The researchers say the results help to address the main vulnerability in advanced composites.“Just like phyllo dough flakes apart, composite layers can peel apart because this interlaminar region is the Achilles’ heel of composites,” says Brian Wardle, professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT. “We’re showing that nanostitching makes this normally weak region so strong and tough that a crack will not grow there. So, we could expect the next generation of aircraft to have composites held together with this nano-Velcro, to make aircraft safer and have greater longevity.”Wardle and his colleagues have <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsami.3c17333" target="_blank">published their results</a> today in the journal ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. The study’s first author is former MIT visiting graduate student and postdoc Carolina Furtado, along with Reed Kopp, Xinchen Ni, Carlos Sarrado, Estelle Kalfon-Cohen, and Pedro Camanho.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1713566912216-MIT-Nanostitch-02-press.jpg" style="width: 100%px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Nanostitching involves “growing” a forest of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (CNT) on a wafer of silicon, through a process of chemical vapor deposition. The CNT-deposited wafer (to the left in grid “a”) is then inverted and pressed onto a larger composite ply (b), and lifted away, leaving the CNTs on the composite’s surface (c). A second ply is placed over the first, with the CNTs between, “stitching” the plies together. Image: Courtesy of the researchers<h2>Forest growth</h2>At MIT, Wardle is director of the necstlab (pronounced “next lab”), where he and his group <a href="https://news.mit.edu/2016/carbon-nanotube-stitches-strengthen-composites-0803" target="_blank">first developed</a> the concept for nanostitching. The approach involves “growing” a forest of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes — hollow fibers of carbon, each so small that tens of billions of the the nanotubes can stand in an area smaller than a fingernail. To grow the nanotubes, the team used a process of chemical vapor deposition to react various catalysts in an oven, causing carbon to settle onto a surface as tiny, hair-like supports. The supports are eventually removed, leaving behind a densely packed forest of microscopic, vertical rolls of carbon.The lab has previously shown that the nanotube forests can be grown and adhered to layers of composite material, and that this fiber-reinforced compound improves the material’s overall strength. The researchers had also seen some signs that the fibers can improve a composite’s resistance to cracks between layers.In their new study, the engineers took a more in-depth look at the between-layer region in composites to test and quantify how nanostitching would improve the region’s resistance to cracks. In particular, the study focused on an advanced composite material known as thin-ply carbon fiber laminates.“This is an emerging composite technology, where each layer, or ply, is about 50 microns thin, compared to standard composite plies that are 150 microns, which is about the diameter of a human hair. There’s evidence to suggest they are better than standard-thickness composites. And we wanted to see whether there might be synergy between our nanostitching and this thin-ply technology, since it could lead to more resilient aircraft, high-value aerospace structures, and space and military vehicles,” Wardle says.<h2>Velcro grip</h2>The study’s experiments were led by Carolina Furtado, who joined the effort as part of the MIT-Portugal program in 2016, continued the project as a postdoc, and is now a professor at the University of Porto in Portugal, where her research focuses on modeling cracks and damage in advanced composites.In her tests, Furtado used the group’s techniques of chemical vapor deposition to grow densely packed forests of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes. She also fabricated samples of thin-ply carbon fiber laminates. The resulting advanced composite was about 3 millimeters thick and comprised 60 layers, each made from stiff, horizontal fibers embedded in a polymer sheet.She transferred and adhered the nanotube forest in between the two middle layers of the composite, then cooked the material in an autoclave to cure. To test crack resistance, the researchers placed a crack on the edge of the composite, right at the start of the region between the two middle layers.“In fracture testing, we always start with a crack because we want to test whether and how far the crack will spread,” Furtado explains.The researchers then placed samples of the nanotube-reinforced composite in an experimental setup to test their resilience to “delamination,” or the potential for layers to separate.“There’s lots of ways you can get precursors to delamination, such as from impacts, like tool drop, bird strike, runway kickup in aircraft, and there could be almost no visible damage, but internally it has a delamination,” Wardle says. “Just like a human, if you’ve got a hairline fracture in a bone, it’s not good. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not impacting you. And damage in composites is hard to inspect.”To examine nanostitching’s potential to prevent delamination, the team placed their samples in a setup to test three delamination modes, in which a crack could spread through the between-layer region and peel the layers apart or cause them to slide against each other, or do a combination of both. All three of these modes are the most common ways in which conventional composites can internally flake and crumble.The tests, in which the researchers precisely measured the force required to peel or shear the composite’s layers, revealed that the nanostitched held fast, and the initial crack that the researchers made was unable to spread further between the layers. The nanostitched samples were up to 62 percent tougher and more resistant to cracks, compared with the same advanced composite material that was held together with conventional polymers.“This is a new composite technology, turbocharged by our nanotubes,” Wardle says.“The authors have demonsrated that thin plies and nanostitching together have made significant increase in toughness,” says Stephen Tsai, emeritus professor of aeronautics and astronautics at Stanford University. “Composites are degraded by their weak interlaminar strength. Any improvement shown in this work will increase the design allowable, and reduce the weight and cost of composites technology.”The researchers envision that any vehicle or structure that incorporates conventional composites could be made lighter, tougher, and more resilient with nanostitching.“You could have selective reinforcement of problematic areas, to reinforce holes or bolted joints, or places where delamination might happen,” Furtado says. “This opens a big window of opportunity.”

This schematic shows an engineered material with composite layers. Layers of carbon fibers (the long silver tubes) have microscopic forests of carbon nanotubes between them (the array of tiny brown objects). These tiny, densely packed fibers grip and hold the layers together, like ultrastrong Velcro, preventing the layers from peeling or shearing apart. Image: Courtesy of the researchers, edited by MIT News

In research that may lead to next-generation airplanes and spacecraft, MIT engineers used carbon nanotubes to prevent cracking in multilayered composites.

"Nanostitches" enable lighter and tougher composite materials

One day the SpaceHopper will be deployed on space missions to explore relatively small celestial bodies such as asteroids and moons. These are thought to contain valuable mineral resources that could be of use to humankind in the future. The exploration of these bodies could also give us insights into our universe’s formation.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1712911128036-imageCarousel.imageformat.lightbox.1854501007.jpg" style="width: 100%px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The project was launched two and a half years ago as an ETH focus project for Bachelor’s degree students. It is now being continued as a regular research project by five Master’s degree students and one doctoral student. One particular challenge of developing exploration robots such as these is the very low gravity prevailing on small celestial bodies –in contrast to larger bodies such as Earth. For this reason, the researchers have tested their robot in zero gravity scenarios on a European Space Agency parabolic flight.<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8I4fe9VaQQg?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-gtm-yt-inspected-9="true" id="588287812" title="Using a hopping robot for asteroid exploration"></iframe>

The prototype of the SpaceHopper developed by ETH students. (Photograph: Dominik Lindegger)

As part of the SpaceHopper project, ETH Zurich students are developing a robot that can navigate very low gravity environments using a jumping-​like mode of locomotion.

Using a hopping robot for asteroid exploration

AI and robotics are enabling safer and more efficient space exploration. 

Embracing the Cosmos: Akida's Role in Advancing Space Tech for Daily Life

In this episode, we embark on a journey to the red planet and unveil the remarkable success of the NASA JPL MOXIE (Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment) mission on Mars.

Podcast: Breathing on Mars: MOXIE's Astounding Success

This article was discussed in our <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte&source=gmail&ust=1672821999265000&usg=AOvVaw3lLKdHdEN0YvCEsaHI7hx9" href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Next Byte podcast</a>.&nbsp;<iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/95b5b321-ff01-4131-9a82-dc2417f0588b?dark=false" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe> The full article will continue below.<hr>Think about this: while we&#39;re here on Earth, a device on Mars (called MOXIE) is breathing life into our interplanetary ambitions by turning carbon dioxide into oxygen. And it&#39;s not just working; it&#39;s thriving. <h3>The minds behind the mission</h3>The team behind the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, colloquially known as MOXIE, was led by principal investigator Michael Hecht from MIT but also includes collaborators from Caltech as well as OxEon Energy. Stationed on NASA&#39;s Perseverance rover, which was designed and managed by NASA JPL, this compact device is making interstellar history. <h3>The drive to innovate</h3>Fundamentally speaking, there will be a massive demand for oxygen in a society that is interplanetary &ndash; it is not only required to sustain life but is also necessary for the combustion of rocket fuel. The roots of MOXIE&#39;s endeavor trace back to the persistent challenge in space exploration: resource transport. Carrying massive oxygen tanks across the vast expanse between Earth and Mars is logistically daunting and downright uneconomical. Thus, the inception of MOXIE: to negate this transportation need by producing oxygen right on the Red Planet.Fast forward to today, MOXIE hasn&#39;t just met expectations; it&#39;s exceeded them. From the time of its Martian touchdown in February 2021, the instrument has not only produced oxygen consistently, but it has also done so under varied atmospheric conditions and at different times, day and night. Its performance, irrespective of the fluctuating Martian atmosphere, stands as a testament to its engineering excellence. <h3>MOXIE&#39;s breathtaking success</h3>Between its start-up in February 2021 and September 2023, MOXIE accumulated a total output of 122 grams of oxygen. At maximum operational capacity, the system produced 12 grams of oxygen each hour, achieving a purity level of 98% or higher. The consistent target was six grams of oxygen per hour, a rate comparable to the oxygen output of a standard terrestrial tree.&nbsp;MOXIE matched or exceeded both its purity and volume targets during this experiment.Impressively, MOXIE&#39;s oxygen production was also consistent across Mars&#39; intense seasonal variation. Because of vast differences in temperature between seasons, Mars&#39; atmospheric density can vary up to twofold throughout the year, which presents a dynamic environment for MOXIE&#39;s oxygen production. <h3>The secret sauce behind MOXIE</h3>The wizardry of MOXIE is both fascinating and profoundly technical, ingeniously designed to work under the highly variable Martian conditions.MOXIE begins its operations by first drawing in carbon dioxide-rich Martian air, which is filtered to rid contaminants. The air is subsequently pressurized and channeled through the Solid OXide Electrolyzer (SOXE), which was developed by OxEon Energy. SOXE electrochemically dissects the air into oxygen ions and carbon monoxide. The oxygen ions are skillfully isolated and recombined, resulting in molecular oxygen, or O2. Before releasing it back into the Martian atmosphere (alongside carbon monoxide and other gases), MOXIE conducts tests to determine whether the oxygen&#39;s quantity and purity meet the mark.&nbsp; <img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjk1MjQ1NDc0MjM3LTY0OTBfTWFycy0yMDIwLU5BU0EtTU9YSUUtQ2FyYm9uLU94eWdlbi1mdWxsMi5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 518px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">NASA/JPL-CaltechFurthermore, accommodating MOXIE&#39;s function within the Perseverance rover&#39;s busy schedule demanded adaptability. Designed to operate intermittently, MOXIE&#39;s performance during various times of the Martian day and throughout diverse seasons showed its resilience. While full-scale versions of MOXIE are envisioned to run continually, the current design&#39;s episodic functioning has demonstrated robustness against potential wear and tear. <h3>Beyond the experiment</h3>Following MOXIE&#39;s success, the research group still sees lots of future work on the horizon for in-situ oxygen production, including designing a future full-scale system that is designed to run nonstop (the current system is designed to operate only in short bursts). The ultimate goal is to a dispatch larger version of MOXIE to Mars and allow it to produce and store up large quantities of oxygen to support future missions.All in all, this isn&#39;t just a technological win; it&#39;s a game-changer. MOXIE&#39;s proven ability to transform plentiful Martian carbon dioxide into oxygen means the dream of return flights from Mars &ndash; and perhaps eventual manned exploration &ndash; &nbsp;is a significant step closer. MOXIE has not just created oxygen but also started paving the path for humanity&#39;s next big interplanetary leap.

MOXIE successfully turned Martian carbon dioxide into usable oxygen – a monumental achievement with even bigger implications for the future of space exploration 


Breathtaking Success on Mars: MOXIE Experiment Delivers as Promised

<div data-mesh-id="comp-llgao0tzinlineContent" data-testid="inline-content"><div data-mesh-id="comp-llgao0tzinlineContent-gridContainer" data-testid="mesh-container-content"><div data-testid="richTextElement">Pushing the boundaries of space technology requires innovative thinking and the right tools for the job.The Scientific Workgroup for Rocketry and Spaceflight (<a href="https://warr.de/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">WARR)</a> at the Technical University of Munich launched their cryogenic rocket 12.7 kilometers above the earth. See how the group transformed &ldquo;Project Cryosphere&rdquo; from an idea to a reality with critical parts made by <a href="http://www.makerverse.ai" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MakerVerse</a>. <img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjkyNzcyMDEwOTc5LVJvY2tldCBpbiBmbGlnaHQuSlBHIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Project Cyrosphere successfully takes off. Photo credit: Matthew Swenson.<div data-testid="richTextElement" id="isPasted"><h3>The challenge: Blasting Off to 11 Kilometers</h3></div><div data-testid="richTextElement">Since its foundation in 1962, WARR has been no stranger to ambitious space-related projects. Within that group is WARR Rocketry, whose student members come from all backgrounds ranging from mechanical engineering to business.The team&rsquo;s previous altitude record was 4 kilometers. With Project Cyrosphere, they wanted to go far beyond. WARR knew they needed an impeccable design and perfect parts to achieve that goal. One of the significant challenges is the extreme conditions that the rocket would undertake. The 135-kilogram rocket would travel 3.5 times the speed of sound, undergoing intense strain until reaching the apogee. Every part must be precisely manufactured to handle severe heat and cold.Furthermore, the student group faced tight deadlines to complete the rocket in time for the scheduled launch in California (US).<div data-testid="richTextElement" id="isPasted"><h3>The solutions: MakerVerse for the Universe</h3><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjkyNzcyNDQyMjQzLVdBUlIgcGFydHMgKEFwcHJvdmVkKSAoNCkucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The interior and exterior of the aluminum critical connectors made by MakerVerse. They&#39;re attached to carbon fiber.</div><div data-testid="richTextElement">WARR&rsquo;s rocket is made largely of carbon fiber, as this material combines strength with reduced weight. For the crucial connector interfaces, which connect the carbon fiber with the cryogenic tank and the upper segments of the rocket, WARR turned to MakerVerse.With MakerVerse&rsquo;s<a href="https://app.makerverse.ai/quote/upload" target="_self" rel="noreferrer noopener">&nbsp;on-demand manufacturing platform</a>, WARR gained access to the full range of manufacturing technologies and materials. In this case, <a href="https://www.makerverse.ai/cnc" target="_self" rel="noreferrer noopener">CNC machining&nbsp;</a>created these aluminum connectors to exact specifications. Considering the delicacy and difficult conditions, MakerVerse&rsquo;s attention to detail was critical.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjkyNzcyMjIwOTA1LVdBUlIgcGFydHMgKEFwcHJvdmVkKSAoMikucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 427px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The assembled structure.Throughout the process, MakerVerse provided very clear pricing and communications, which helped ensure all lead time expectations were met.<div data-testid="richTextElement" id="isPasted"><h3>The results: Reaching for the Stars</h3></div><div data-testid="richTextElement">With the successful launch of its cryogenic rocket WARR, gained invaluable date on supersonic flight and the performance of the hardware. This data will be put to use for other projects. The team already has other ambitious projects planned for the near future, including innovative new rocket designs. For these projects, WARR plans to work with MakerVerse again using a combination of additive manufacturing, CNC machining, and other technologies as needed.&ldquo;MakerVerse was a great partner for our manufacturing projects,&rdquo; said Francesco Longhetti, Head of WARR Rocketry. &ldquo;They helped save us a lot of time.&rdquo;</div></div></div></div></div></div>

See how the student group from Technical University of Munich reached an altitude of nearly 13 kilometers with their rocket launched in the US.  Some key components were made by MakerVerse, the on-demand manufacturing platform for industrial-quality parts. 

WARR Launches Cryogenic Rocket with Machined Parts

Engineering Space is an in-depth documentary series that unveils the new generation of space technologies and the people and companies developing them. Engineers and entrepreneurs are democratizing access to space. Our goal is to enable you to understand the cutting-edge, be inspired, and discover practical insights to apply to your own engineering endeavors.In the first episode of Engineering Space we meet two engineers from Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic; Principal Mechanical Engineer Kerry Quinn and Lead Software Engineer Taylor Whitaker. The space company aims to make space missions feasible and more affordable for science, exploration, and commerce. They define themselves as a lunar logistics company, intending to provide end-to-end delivery services for payloads to the Moon.Astrobotic works out of the largest private facility in the world dedicated to lunar logistics. In this impressive 47,000-square-foot complex, The company builds and operates its lines of landers, rovers, autonomous spacecraft navigation systems, and other space technologies. Once operational, payloads will be controlled directly from the Astrobotic Mission Control Center inside their headquarters located in the heart of Pittsburgh&rsquo;s North Side.<h2 dir="ltr">Developing lightweight moon rovers</h2>The team is developing two rovers specifically for Moon exploration. The CubeRover&reg; is a super-light modular vehicle designed to provide affordable mobility for scientific instruments and other payloads to operate on the surface of the Moon. Because CubeRover&reg; can be as light as just four kilograms &mdash; it can contribute to reduced flight costs, making the Moon more accessible. &nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjgzNjIzNTg3MTUwLVJvdmVyMi5wbmciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The Astrorobotics CubeRover&reg;. Image credit: Astrobotics.The Polaris rover was designed to accommodate diverse lunar payloads with distinct mission profiles, like lunar regolith digging or water ice harvesting. Polaris can support up to 90 kg of payload mass, traverse long distances, and provide direct-to-Earth (DTE) communication. Companies, governments, universities, non-profits, and individuals can send payloads to the Moon on Polaris for $4.5M per kilogram of payload. For every kilogram of payload, Astrobotic can provide 0.5 W of continuous power and 10 kbps of bandwidth.In this episode of Engineering Space, we follow along with Astrobotic engineers as they do mobility testing on the engineering model of their CubeRover&reg;. It&#39;s the first time the team has tested the rover with its MLI (Multilayer Insulation) and electronics package. The testing will compare the engineering model with other models in development.&nbsp;<h2 dir="ltr">Mimicking the Moon&#39;s surface</h2>Testing rovers intended for the moon requires the careful creation of an environment that resembles the moon&#39;s surface as closely as possible. The tests are conducted in their test pit of lunar regolith, a material that mimics the fine powdery material covering the moon. Almost all of the moon&#39;s surface is covered in this fine, white powdery material, with only small areas of hard bedrock on the walls of very steep moon craters.&nbsp;Regolith materials are developed by NASA or other space companies. For example, the majority of the regolith used in the Astrobotic testing is made by the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/home/index.html" target="_blank">Glenn Research Center</a>. The regolith, known as GRC-1[1] is made from four kinds of quartz silica.&nbsp;Lunar regolith has compactibility properties[2], which means when it is agitated, it dilates or becomes lower in volume as the small particles fall between the larger particles. You can imagine this clearly by thinking of a container of flour that compacts when you tap it on a table. This is also how the iconic astronaut footprints were formed on the Moon.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjgzNjIyMzQwNzUzLTEwLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The rover prototype during testing in the lunar regolith material.This quality of the regolith means that the lightweight rovers developed by Astrobotic are expected to sink down slightly when they are on the moon, rather than moving across its surface like a small rover would on sand on Earth.&nbsp;To mimic the moon without simulating in zero gravity, super lightweight versions of the rovers are developed that account for the difference in gravitational acceleration. Lunar gravitational acceleration is 1.62 m/s^2 (meters per second squared) while Earth&rsquo;s gravitational acceleration is 9.807 m/s^2 (meters per second squared). &nbsp;The moon rover weighs about 6 kg, so the testing version weighs just 1 kg.&nbsp;<h2 dir="ltr">Design of a lunar rover wheel that sinks and turns&nbsp;</h2>The moon surface tests enable the Astrobotic engineering team to look at each aspect of the rover, including its grip on the lunar regolith and the way it traverses different types of terrain, such as flat, ascents, and descents.&nbsp;A really critical part of the rover is the design of its wheels. They must be lightweight, robust to the extreme temperatures of the moon as well as suitable for the fine, flour-like conditions of the lunar surface. The Astrobotic rover has been tested with multiple types of wheels, sizes, widths, and materials.The current design of the wheel is fairly narrow, with regular perforations and grousers (protrusions similar to those on a tank) that allow the rover to move through the powdery surface. This design also enables the rover to complete movements such as figure-eights without the rover having a complex drive system such as articulated directional steering that would add extra weight.&nbsp;The engineering model of the rover being tested is reserved for special testing as it&#39;s the closest prototype to the finished product. To protect the high-value prototype, simultaneous testing happens on other simpler versions of the rover. These tests are often specific to a single task such as hill climbing.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjgzNjIyMzgzODgzLTUuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The perforations and trousers enable the rover to navigate the soft terrain.&nbsp;<h2 dir="ltr">A mission to make the moon accessible</h2>Astrobotic was founded in 2007 and currently has more than 130 employees. It has won several large contracts from NASA and has critical missions with the space agency planned. In addition to the rovers described above, Astrobotic has developed moon landers, a moon power grid, and vision technology.&nbsp;The company&#39;s first mission is set to be the first commercial mission to land on another planetary body. The Peregrine Rover will land on the Gruithuisen Domes of the moon and deliver a range of scientific instruments, technologies, mementos, and other payloads from six different countries, dozens of science teams, and hundreds of individuals. The date of the mission will be announced shortly.&nbsp;In 2024, Astrobotic will undertake the Griffin Mission One (GM1) &nbsp;to the Lunar South Pole. It will deliver NASA&rsquo;s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER). Griffin will land at the South Pole and deploy VIPER to conduct the first widespread ground truth measurements of lunar water ice. Such ice may one day be used for life support and propellant that could assist future deep space explorers. Some of the instruments on PM1 will be operated as a dress rehearsal for their use on VIPER. This GM1 contract was awarded under the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/commercial-lunar-payload-services" target="_blank">NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services &nbsp;(CLPS) &nbsp;initiative.&nbsp;</a><h2 dir="ltr">Learn more about cutting-edge space companies and technologies</h2>The Engineering Space documenatry series is a collaboration between engineering community platform Wevolver, and two independent Californian filmmakers and producers; <a href="https://flipbirdfilms.com/" target="_blank">Flipbird Films</a> and Green Run Productions. This first episode is sponsored by <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/duro" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Duro</a>, which develops Product Lifecycle Management software for hardware engineering teams.<blockquote><blockquote>Having previously worked at SpaceX, I know how tough it can be to create technology that can withstand the harsh environment of space. We&#39;re proud to sponsor this Engineering Space episode and help inspire engineers everywhere!</blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote>Kellan O&#39;Connor, COO and Co-founder of Duro </blockquote></blockquote>Sign up below to get updates when a new &#39;Engineering Space&#39; episode gets released!<iframe src="https://c8056756.sibforms.com/serve/MUIEALrRLDzuUm9n0ZOf8rXFzimkYs9rS_nCzav7CGHGM8USNRBoKa4J5jwLh7jPqbBt7DQ-iIzGhsx_wFSBXNb4KPhpppkyJ93mD2PZJvl1pMCE9zXvsMc7hBtlPYgaIBDpec1zdrmpcCW6xuqC94Suy4YcAasZMu8t7DxX1EoakY6Xqdk8WBelkzJyrbq88OKqzHv_8A0UDOlT" scrolling="auto" allowfullscreen="" style="display: block;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;max-width: 100%;" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" width="540" height="305" frameborder="0"></iframe> <h2 dir="ltr">References</h2>1. Oravec HA, Zeng X, Asnani VM. Design and characterization of GRC-1: A soil for Lunar Terramechanics testing in earth-ambient conditions [Internet]. Pergamon; 2010 [cited 2023 May 9]. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022489810000388&nbsp;2. Oravec HA, Zeng X, Asnani VM. Design and characterization of GRC-1: A soil for Lunar Terramechanics testing in earth-ambient conditions [Internet]. Pergamon; 2010 [cited 2023 May 9]. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022489810000388

Space startup Astrobotic mimics the moon's surface material and tests various designs of new moon rovers.

Engineering Space. Episode 1: Developing lightweight rovers for lunar surface exploration

COWVR, at center, and TEMPEST, not shown, were installed aboard the International Space Station in late 2021 and since then have provided valuable weather data to forecasters tracking tropical cyclones. The two instruments are part of the U.S. Space Force STP-H8 demonstration mission. Credit: NASA

In this episode, we talk about a new satellite system from NASA that leverages technologies used in other missions to accomplish the same performance that has been delivered by heritage satellites but smaller and less complex while also being a fraction of the cost.

Podcast: Eye of The Storm: NASA's New Weather & Tropical Storm Tracking Sensors

In places across the U.S., tree cover is shrinking &ndash; forests are burned by wildfires on the West Coast and drowned by rising sea levels along the East. From the ground, it&rsquo;s hard to assess the scale of the losses and the effects disappearing trees have on atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and climate change.NASA research scientist Jon Ranson is working to improve new technologies for studying trees from above, so future Earth-observing missions can more accurately assess forest health.&ldquo;Trees do a huge service for the planet, in terms of sequestering carbon dioxide, taking it out of the atmosphere and putting it into wood,&rdquo; Ranson said, &ldquo;but trees are very sensitive to our changing climate. We&rsquo;re trying to see the changes going on in forest ecosystems. If you detect things early enough, you might be able to do something about it.&rdquo;When measured from aircraft and satellites, the wavelengths of light reflected by plants tell scientists about the amount of photosynthesis occurring, and therefore how much atmospheric carbon dioxide trees take up and store. The current standard for studying vegetation is called NDVI, or Normalized Differential Vegetation Index, which is the average of two broad portions of the infrared spectrum. NASA&rsquo;s NDVI record goes back 40 years, providing a low-resolution but accurate picture of forest health.While NDVI is good at assessing vegetation quantity and vigor broadly, Ranson said, breaking down infrared and visible light into many more wavelengths, a technology called hyperspectral imaging, can provide insight on plants&rsquo; water content, chlorophyll and even changes in health. &nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1679491783339-mlbs_landscape2+%281%29.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">In the Mountain Lake region near Blacksburg, VA, a National Ecological Observatory Network tower contains CO2 sensors that can help validate measurements taken by aircraft or satellites. Credits: Courtesy Jon Ranson&ldquo;Vegetation has these broad spectral properties,&rdquo; said Ian Adams, Earth Sciences Division Technologist at NASA&rsquo;s Goddard Space Flight Center. &ldquo;With hyperspectral imaging, you get lots of different measurements at smaller, closer together frequencies. There is a lot more information we can pull out if we can get better spectral resolution.&rdquo;By dramatically increasing the number of frequencies available for researchers to study, Ranson&rsquo;s work serves the priorities of the National Academies of Science&rsquo;s most recent Earth Science decadal survey, which determines the field&rsquo;s long-term priorities. The survey lists &ldquo;surface topography and vegetation,&rdquo; including forests, as a key area of study in need of more advanced technology.&nbsp;&ldquo;Strategically for NASA, and more broadly for the remote sensing community, hyperspectral is one of the areas we see as the future,&rdquo; Adams said.To make use of hyperspectral imaging by future orbital missions, data analysis techniques are first proven closer to the ground.Ranson&rsquo;s team fitted a Skyfish drone (UAV) from partner institution Virginia Tech with a visible and infrared (VIS/IR) hyperspectral camera and lidar equipment. They flew the imaging equipment over forests near Blacksburg, VA, in a region called Mountain Lake. Comparing their UAV observations with actual CO2 levels recorded by sensors on a nearby National Ecological Observatory Network tower, Ranson&rsquo;s team was able to refine calculations about how much carbon the forest removed from the atmosphere.These comparisons allowed them to further refine techniques for interpreting the hyperspectral data. For instance, Plants stressed by too much sunlight may release pigments to shield their chloroplasts, a condition his sensors can detect. If plants get too much shade, they may grow leaves with larger surface-areas, which can cause the sensor to overestimate plant productivity. Ranson wants to add short-wave infrared sensors to better distinguish reflections from leaves and other parts of plants, eliminating another possible source of error.<h2>The view from space: Seeing the forest for the trees</h2>Ranson&rsquo;s goal is to study forests on a global scale from space.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re trying to get the complete picture,&rdquo; Ranson said. &ldquo;So that when we go to space, we know how to find the answer to the question, &lsquo;Are our forests healthy? And if not, why not?&rsquo;&rdquo;Scientists and engineers at Goddard have been developing a mission concept called Concurrent Artificially intelligent Spectrometry and Adaptive Lidar System, or CASALS. If selected, CASALS would send a satellite with lidar and hyperspectral cameras into space. A constellation of such satellites could take the frequent measurements necessary to assess changes in forest productivity over time, using models perfected by Ranson&rsquo;s UAV flights.&ldquo;Forests take up as much carbon as the ocean does, yet forests cover only 9 percent of Earth&rsquo;s surface,&rdquo; said Ranson. &ldquo;So, if something goes wrong with our forests, it&rsquo;s a dramatic issue. We&rsquo;ve got this great, great resource in forests, and we need to care for them so they&rsquo;ll care for us.&rdquo;

In places across the U.S., tree cover is shrinking – forests are burned by wildfires on the West Coast and drowned by rising sea levels along the East. From the ground, it’s hard to assess the scale of the losses and the effects disappearing trees have on atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and climate change.

NASA To Measure Forest Health from Above

This article was discussed in our <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte&source=gmail&ust=1672821999265000&usg=AOvVaw3lLKdHdEN0YvCEsaHI7hx9" href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Next Byte podcast</a>.&nbsp;<iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/788c4555-efa4-44a6-84d8-cf9cd503de92?dark=false" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe> The full article will continue below.<hr>NASA recently built two weather instruments to test the potential of small, low-cost sensors to do some of the work of bulkier, pricier satellites. Both instruments have exceeded expectations as trial runs, and they are already delivering useful forecast information for the most devastating of storms, tropical cyclones.Launched in late 2021 to the International Space Station, <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/5-things-to-know-about-a-pair-of-small-but-mighty-weather-instruments" target="_blank">COWVR</a> (short for Compact Ocean Wind Vector Radiometer) measures the speed and direction of wind at the ocean surface, and TEMPEST (Temporal Experiment for Storms and Tropical Systems) provides atmospheric water vapor measurements. Both instruments are part of Space Test Program-Houston 8 (STP-H8), a three-year demonstration mission funded by the U.S. Space Force, which also funded the construction of COWVR. TEMPEST was built by NASA as a flight spare for a prior mission, and Space Force repurposed it for STP-H8.Imagery created from their data is being used by the U.S. <a href="https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/jtwc.html" target="_blank">Joint Typhoon Warning Center</a> to track the location and intensity of tropical cyclones in the Indian and Pacific oceans. In fact, COWVR and TEMPEST images were among the sources used by a forecaster at the typhoon center in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to pin down the location of Tropical Cyclone Mandous, which roiled the Bay of Bengal off southern India in December 2022.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc3NjI5NTA1NjI3LWpwZWdQSUEyNTU2NS5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 768px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Data from the COWVR and TEMPEST instruments aboard the ISS was used to create this image of Tropical Cyclone Mandous, which forecasters used to understand the December 2022 storm&#39;s intensity and predict its path toward southern India.&nbsp; Credit: U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center/U.S. Naval Research LaboratoryFor several months, images based on COWVR and TEMPEST data have been delivered to the center by the Monterey, California-based Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), which has been working with NASA to calibrate the instruments and validate their data. Storm forecasters have been trying out the imagery &ndash; evaluating how it affects predictions and comparing it with other data sources &ndash; said Brian Strahl, the center&rsquo;s director.Reliable, frequently updated information on storm structure and location, wind speed, and humidity is crucial to the center&rsquo;s mission to track tropical cyclones between Africa&rsquo;s east coast and the west coast of the Americas, an area that includes vast expanses of open ocean.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s challenging outside of the continental U.S. &ndash; where you don&rsquo;t have weather aircraft routinely flying &ndash; to give a really good ground-truth of where these storms are, so we&rsquo;re reliant on satellites,&rdquo; Strahl said. &ldquo;Any new additions of good quality data, which we believe these are, can be very useful.&rdquo;<h2 data-block-key="8jorb">Smaller, Less Costly</h2>COWVR and TEMPEST both measure microwave emissions from Earth&rsquo;s atmosphere and surface. Data from microwave readings have an advantage over those from infrared or visible light: They can give forecasters a look at the internal structure of a tropical cyclone and help them locate the eye, even if it&rsquo;s obscured by clouds.The idea for the mission emerged a decade ago as the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) started considering the next generation of instruments that could replace sensors such as WindSat, a DoD weather radiometer that operated until 2020.COWVR incorporates technology and designs developed at NASA&rsquo;s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the agency&rsquo;s Jason series of ocean-observing satellites. With Jason, engineers had to correct for the presence of atmospheric water vapor when measuring sea surface height. With COWVR, the water vapor and how it moves are the focus.Larger weather radiometers are often built with spinning dishes to enable broader coverage than that provided by an instrument that points straight down. COWVR also uses a rotating dish, but JPL engineers managed to simplify the instrument&rsquo;s design, making it more power-efficient without compromising its capabilities.Around the size of a minifridge, the instrument weighs about 130 pounds (60 kilograms) and requires about 47 watts to run &ndash; approximately the same power demand as an actual minifridge. WindSat, by comparison, weighed 990 pounds (450 kilograms) and used 350 watts. COWVR&rsquo;s design and construction budget was $24 million, roughly one-fifth the cost of WindSat.TEMPEST was a flight spare left over from NASA&rsquo;s 2018&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/temporal-experiment-for-storms-and-tropical-systems-demonstration-tempest-d" target="_blank">TEMPEST-D mission</a>. About the size of a cereal box, it weighs roughly 8 pounds (4 kilograms), draws 6.5 watts of power, and had a budget of less than $2 million. TEMPEST-D was a CubeSat demonstration led by researchers from Colorado State University, JPL, and Blue Canyon Technologies.&ldquo;NASA developed these instruments to be compact and simple, without many moving parts, and using technology that has matured over the decades,&rdquo; said Shannon Brown, principal investigator for COWVR at JPL. &ldquo;We are now seeing that instruments like that can perform as well as the more expensive operational sensors.&rdquo;Separate from STP-H8, NASA also is exploring the use of data from COWVR and TEMPEST, as well as small satellites like them, for its own weather-related missions.<h2 data-block-key="2u9ui">What&rsquo;s Next</h2>The Naval Research Laboratory has sent data from COWVR and TEMPEST to the U.S. National Hurricane Center, where forecasters have started to evaluate it. And the Joint Typhoon Warning Center intends to take a closer look at COWVR&rsquo;s surface wind speed and direction data &ndash; not just the imagery &ndash; to see if it improves tropical cyclone forecasts.The Naval Research Laboratory also continues to evaluate raw data from COWVR and TEMPEST for use in the U.S. Navy&rsquo;s global numerical weather models.&ldquo;These are critical behind-the-scenes efforts that enable us to feel confident using measurements from these new instruments,&rdquo; said Steve Swadley, NRL&rsquo;s lead for calibration and validation of data from spaceborne microwave sensors. &ldquo;So far, it looks really, really good, so that&rsquo;s exciting.&rdquo;

Known as COWVR and TEMPEST, the duo is demonstrating that smaller, less expensive science instruments can play an important role in weather forecasting.

Dynamic NASA-Built Weather Sensors Enlisted to Track Tropical Cyclones

The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum f&uuml;r Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) is currently working with <a href="https://www.uarx.com/" target="_blank" title="External link UARX Space">UARX</a> Space to develop a specialised spacecraft that will transport multiple satellites to different desired orbits after separation from the launch vehicle. DLR is providing a radio platform called Generic Software Defined Radio (GSDR), which is used to communicate with the ground station. GSDR is a multifunctional radio system that allows multiple applications to performed in different frequency bands. The hardware does not have to be adapted to the application-specific requirements, as is usually the case, but can be reconfigured via software and commands while in orbit.<h2>Planned mission in 2024</h2>In commercial spaceflight, one launch vehicle typically delivers several satellites into the same fixed target orbit to save costs. As a result, certain users must wait a long time for a launch vehicle that will fly to their target orbit or face the prohibitive cost of booking a rocket for their sole use. The Orbit Solutions to Simplify Injection and Exploration (<a href="https://www.uarx.com/projects/ossie.php" target="_blank" title="External link OSSIE">OSSIE</a>) orbit transfer vehicle from UARX Space is being developed with the aim of carrying satellites deployed in space to their desired target orbit, regardless of the initial deployment orbit of the launch vehicle. This places considerable demands on communication between the spacecraft and the ground segment, as the radio communication distance varies greatly throughout the mission.The GSDR, developed by DLR, will be used as the communication subsystem, as this innovative radio platform is ideally suited to OSSIE&#39;s needs and can respond flexibly to the varying communication requirements. &quot;After more than five years of development and extensive testing, our GSDR has now reached a technology readiness level (TRL) of 7. The next step is to demonstrate the system in orbit. We are delighted that our system will contribute to UARX&#39;s mission and help us harness OSSIE&#39;s full potential,&quot; says Jan Budroweit, Project Manager at DLR.OSSIE is a cost-effective Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV) designed to deploy customer payloads that require transport to specific orbits. To accomplish a controlled deployment, the vehicle is commanded to conduct precise manoeuvres that change its orbital parameters. During these manoeuvres, constant communication with the ground segment is often very important. OSSIE is also capable of carrying orbital demonstrators that allow customers to test their hardware without being deployed into orbit. During such a flight, the payload receives all required services, such as power and communications, from the OSSIE platform.UARX Space already has customers for OSSIE&#39;s demonstration mission, which is planned for mid-2024, and during which the capabilities of the spacecraft will be validated in preparation for more complex missions. &quot;Counting on the support of DLR to handle such complex communication scenarios is essential to ensure we can offer the best quality of service to our customers,&quot; says Andr&eacute;s Villa, CTO at UARX Space.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1676889026224-ossie-laboratory.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Lab&shy;o&shy;ra&shy;to&shy;ry test&shy;ing of Gener&shy;ic Soft&shy;ware De&shy;fined Ra&shy;dio (GS&shy;DR) at the DLR site in Bre&shy;men. Credit: &copy; DLR. All rights reserved&nbsp;<h2>A modular, reusable radio system</h2>GSDR is designed to be easy to reuse and adapt from mission to mission. Its advanced technology enables high-performance data processing and extreme flexibility for rapid development and reconfiguration. Mission-specific features are primarily implemented through software customisation.GSDR can operate in different frequency bands without any need to adapt the hardware. This allows various applications &ndash; including communication between the ground station and the spacecraft and the reception of aircraft signals &ndash; to be implemented within a single system. This saves space and weight, which in turn reduces costs, particularly for space missions. Due to its compact design and low power consumption, the platform is especially well suited to operation with small satellites. Ensuring reliability under space conditions was a priority during the development of the GSDR. The system has been specifically designed and extensively tested to handle the effects of radiation and guarantee a high level of reliability and operational availability. The GSDR currently has a TRL of 7, so it is certified with respect to critical environmental influences such as thermal and mechanical factors and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC).

The OSSIE space­craft from UARX Space fea­tur­ing DLR ra­dio tech­nol­o­gy. Credit: DLR (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)

The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) is currently working with UARX Space to develop a specialised spacecraft that will transport multiple satellites to different desired orbits after separation from the launch vehicle.

The future of small satellite transfer orbits

Spacecraft and mission hardware designed by an artificial intelligence may resemble bones left by some alien species, but they weigh less, tolerate higher structural loads, and require a fraction of the time parts designed by humans take to develop.&ldquo;They look somewhat alien and weird,&rdquo; Research Engineer Ryan McClelland said, &ldquo;but once you see them in function, it really makes sense.&rdquo;McClelland pioneered the design of specialized, one-off parts using commercially available AI software at NASA&rsquo;s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, producing hardware he has dubbed evolved structures.To create these parts, a computer-assisted design (CAD) specialist starts with the mission&rsquo;s requirements and draws in the surfaces where the part connects to the instrument or spacecraft &ndash; as well any bolts and fittings for electronics and other hardware. The designer might also need to block out a path so that the algorithm doesn&rsquo;t block a laser beam or optical sensor. Finally, more complex builds might require spaces for technicians&rsquo; hands to maneuver for assembly and alignment.Once all off-limits areas are defined, the AI connects the dots, McClelland said, producing complex structure designs in as little as an hour or two. &ldquo;The algorithms do need a human eye,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Human intuition knows what looks right, but left to itself, the algorithm can sometimes make structures too thin.&quot;These evolved structures save up to two-thirds of the weight compared to traditional&nbsp;components, he said, and can be milled by commercial vendors. &ldquo;You can perform the design, analysis and fabrication of a prototype part, and have it in hand in as little as one week,&rdquo; McClelland said. &ldquo;It can be radically fast compared with how we&rsquo;re used to working.&rdquo;Parts are also analyzed using NASA-standard validation software and processes to identify potential points of failure, McClelland said. &ldquo;We found it actually lowers risk. After these stress analyses, we find the parts generated by the algorithm don&rsquo;t have the stress concentrations that you have with human designs. The stress factors are almost ten times lower than parts produced by an expert human.&rdquo;McClelland&rsquo;s evolved components have been adopted by NASA missions in different stages of design and construction, including astrophysics balloon observatories, Earth-atmosphere scanners, planetary instruments, space weather monitors, space telescopes, and even the Mars Sample Return mission.Goddard physicist Peter Nagler turned to evolved structures to help develop the EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope (EXCITE) mission, a balloon-borne telescope developed to study hot Jupiter-type exoplanets orbiting other stars. Currently under construction and testing, EXCITE plans to use a near-infrared spectrograph to perform continuous observations of each planet&#39;s orbit about its host star.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1676543284461-excite.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">yan McClelland designed an aluminum scaffold for the back of the EXCITE telescope, which is planned to make a test flight as early as Fall of 2023. The curved, criss-crossed reinforcing structures were designed to resist significant off-centered forces. Credits: Henry Dennis&ldquo;We have a couple of areas with very tricky design requirements,&rdquo; Nagler said. &ldquo;There were combinations of specific interfaces and exacting load specifications that were proving to be a challenge for our designers.&rdquo;McClelland designed a titanium scaffold for the back of the EXCITE telescope, where the IR receiver housed inside an aluminum cryogenic chamber connects to a carbon fiber plate supporting the primary mirror. &ldquo;These materials have very different thermal expansion properties,&rdquo; Nagler said. &ldquo;We had to have an interface between them that won&rsquo;t stress either material.&rdquo;A long-duration NASA Super-Pressure Balloon will loft the EXCITE mission&rsquo;s SUV-sized payload, with an engineering test flight planned as early as fall of 2023.<h2>Ideal Design Solution for NASA&rsquo;s Custom Parts</h2>AI-assisted design is a growing industry, with everything from equipment parts to entire car and motorcycle chassis being developed by computers.The use case for NASA is particularly strong, McClelland said.&ldquo;If you&rsquo;re a motorcycle or car company,&rdquo; McClelland said, &ldquo;there may be only one chassis design that you&rsquo;re going to produce, and then you&rsquo;ll manufacture a bunch of them. Here at NASA, we make thousands of bespoke parts every year.&rdquo;3D printing with resins and metals will unlock the future of AI-assisted design, he said, enabling larger components such as structural trusses, complex systems that move or unfold, or advanced precision optics. &ldquo;These techniques could enable NASA and commercial partners to build larger components in orbit that would not otherwise fit in a standard launch vehicle, they could even facilitate construction on the Moon or Mars using materials found in those locations.&rdquo;Merging AI, 3D printing or additive manufacturing, and in-situ resource utilization will advance In-space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) capabilities. ISAM is a key priority for U.S. space infrastructure development as defined by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a data-lf-fd-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/04-2022-ISAM-National-Strategy-Final.pdf" target="_blank">ISAM National Strategy</a> and&nbsp;<a data-lf-fd-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/NATIONAL-ISAM-IMPLEMENTATION-PLAN.pdf" target="_blank">ISAM Implementation Plan</a>.This work is supported by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/innovation_fund/index.html" target="_blank">Center Innovation Fund</a> in NASA&#39;s Space Technology Mission Directorate as well as Goddard&rsquo;s Internal Research and Development (IRAD) program.

Defined by a human designer, and filled in by an artificial intelligence program, this scaffold was milled from a solid block of aluminum and features connections for mirrors and instruments as well as pathways preserved for laser light and human hands to attach and adjust sensors. Credit: Henry Dennis

Spacecraft and mission hardware designed by an artificial intelligence may resemble bones left by some alien species, but they weigh less, tolerate higher structural loads, and require a fraction of the time parts designed by humans take to develop.

NASA Turns to AI to Design Mission Hardware

In this episode, we talk about how a group of researchers at the University of Michigan have gained a thrust output 10x greater than what was thought to be possible by challenging preconceived limitations and how their breakthrough could hold the key for deep space travel.&nbsp;<iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/7186eb06-8962-46c9-b8e9-52a754f7cdb3?dark=false" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe><hr><h3 id="isPasted">EPISODE NOTES</h3>(2:20) - <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/plasma-thrusters-used-on-satellites-could-be-much-more-powerful" target="_blank">Ultra-efficient Plasma Thrusters For Deep Space Travel</a><hr>As always, you can find these and other interesting &amp; impactful engineering articles on Wevolver.com.To learn more about this show, please visit our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte" target="_blank">shows page</a>. By following the page, you will get automatic updates by email when a new show is published. Be sure to give us a follow and review on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/the-next-byte/id1548255861?l=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6lPPsRtegnivsRUEsQ09R7?si=IPMiah7xT_apJtPjqvXMlA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, and most of your favorite podcast platforms!

The glow of the plasma from the H9 MUSCLE Hall thruster during a test with krypton propellant. PHOTO: Plasmadynamic and Electric Propulsion Laboratory. 

In this episode, we talk about how a group of researchers at the University of Michigan have gained a thrust output 10x greater than what was thought to be possible by challenging preconceived limitations and how their breakthrough could hold the key for deep space travel.

Podcast: From Blastoff to Beyond: Ion Thrusters Pushing the Limits of Space Travel

This article was discussed in our&nbsp;<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte&source=gmail&ust=1672821999265000&usg=AOvVaw3lLKdHdEN0YvCEsaHI7hx9" href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Next Byte podcast</a>.&nbsp;<iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/7186eb06-8962-46c9-b8e9-52a754f7cdb3?dark=false" class="fr-draggable" data-gtm-yt-inspected-7="true" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe> The full article will continue below.<hr>It was believed that Hall thrusters, an efficient kind of electric propulsion widely used in orbit, need to be large to produce a lot of thrust. Now, a new study from the University of Michigan suggests that smaller Hall thrusters can generate much more thrust&mdash;potentially making them candidates for interplanetary missions. &nbsp;<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jM_wcsTQxek?&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-gtm-yt-inspected-7="true" id="636557646" title="Advances in Thruster Technology Lead the Way to Mars"></iframe>&ldquo;People had previously thought that you could only push a certain amount of current through a thruster area, which in turn translates directly into how much force or thrust you can generate per unit area,&rdquo; said <a href="https://aero.engin.umich.edu/people/jorns-benjamin/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Benjamin Jorns</a>, U-M associate professor of aerospace engineering who led the new Hall thruster study to be presented at the <a href="https://www.aiaa.org/SciTech" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">AIAA SciTech Forum</a> in National Harbor, Maryland, today.His team challenged this limit by running a 9 kilowatt Hall thruster up to 45 kilowatts, maintaining roughly 80% of its nominal efficiency. This increased the amount of force generated per unit area by almost a factor of 10.Whether we call it a plasma thruster or an ion drive, electric propulsion is our best bet for interplanetary travel&mdash;but science is at a crossroads. While Hall thrusters are a well-proven technology, an alternative concept, known as a magnetoplasmadynamic thruster, promises to pack much more power into smaller engines. However, they are yet unproven in many ways, including lifetime.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc0ODI4MDcxNDAzLTUyNjQ1NDUzODI5XzM2NGYwMjQ4N2Jfay0xMDI0eDY1NS5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The team at the PEPL lab poses for a photo near the new Hall thruster. Leanne Su, lead author of the study, kneels with a print of the mission patch. From left in the back: Christopher Sercel, Thomas Marks, Madison Allen, Parker Roberts, Will Hurley, Benjamin Jorns (U-M associate professor of aerospace engineering and senior author of the study) and and Tate Gill. PHOTO: Marcin Szczepanski/Michigan Engineering&nbsp;Hall thrusters were believed to be unable to compete because of the way they operate. The propellant, typically a noble gas like xenon, moves through a cylindrical channel where it is accelerated by a powerful electric field. It generates thrust in the forward direction as it departs out the back. But before the propellant can be accelerated, it needs to lose some electrons to give it a positive charge.Electrons accelerated by a magnetic field to run in a ring around that channel&mdash;described as a &ldquo;buzz saw&rdquo; by Jorns&mdash;knock electrons off the propellant atoms and turn them into positively charged ions. However, calculations suggested that if a Hall thruster tried to drive more propellant through the engine, the electrons whizzing in a ring would get knocked out of the formation, breaking down that &ldquo;buzz saw&rdquo; function.&nbsp;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s like trying to bite off more than you can chew,&rdquo; Jorns said. &ldquo;The buzz saw can&rsquo;t work its way through that much material.&rdquo;In addition, the engine would get extremely hot. Jorns&rsquo; team put these beliefs to the test.&nbsp;&ldquo;We named our thruster the H9 MUSCLE because essentially, we took the H9 thruster and made a muscle car out of it by turning it up to 11&mdash;really up to a hundred, if we&rsquo;re going by accurate scaling,&rdquo; said Leanne Su, a doctoral student in aerospace engineering who will present the study.They tackled the heat problem by cooling it with water, which let them see how big a problem the buzz saw breakdown was going to be. Turns out, it wasn&rsquo;t much trouble. Running with xenon, the conventional propellant, the H9 MUSCLE ran up to 37.5 kilowatts, with an overall efficiency of about 49%, not far off the 62% efficiency at its design power of 9 kilowatts.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc0ODI4MDk2MDA3LXBsYXNtYS10aHJ1c3RlcnMtdXNlZC53ZWJwIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The glow of the plasma from the H9 MUSCLE Hall thruster during a test with krypton propellant. PHOTO: Plasmadynamic and Electric Propulsion Laboratory.&nbsp;Running with krypton, a lighter gas, they maxed out their power supply at 45 kilowatts. At an overall efficiency of 51%, they achieved their maximum thrust of about 1.8 Newtons, on par with the much larger 100-kilowatt-class X3 Hall thruster.&nbsp;&ldquo;This is kind of a crazy result because typically, krypton performs a lot worse than xenon on Hall thrusters. So it&rsquo;s very cool and an interesting path forward to see that we can actually improve krypton&rsquo;s performance relative to xenon by increasing the thruster current density,&rdquo; Su said.Nested Hall thrusters like the X3&mdash;also developed in part by U-M&mdash;have been explored for interplanetary cargo transport, but they are much larger and heavier, making it difficult for them to transport humans. Now, ordinary Hall thrusters are back on the table for crewed journeys.Jorns says that the cooling problem would need a space-worthy solution if Hall thrusters are to run at these high powers. Still, he is optimistic that individual thrusters could run at 100 to 200 kilowatts, arranged into arrays that provide a megawatt&rsquo;s worth of thrust. This could enable crewed missions to reach Mars even on the far side of the sun, traveling a distance of 250 million miles.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc0ODI4MTE1NTA3LTUyNjQ1NjczOTgzXzBiNTcxNTU4ZGFfay0xMDI0eDY4My5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Ph.D student Will Hurley leaves the chamber where the new Hall plasma thruster is tested at the PEPL lab. PHOTO: Marcin Szczepanski/Michigan Engineering&nbsp;The team hopes to pursue the cooling problem as well as challenges in developing both Hall thrusters and magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters on Earth, where few facilities can test Mars-mission-level thrusters. The amount of propellant exhausting from the thruster comes too fast for the vacuum pumps to keep the conditions inside the testing chamber space-like.The research was supported in part by the Joint Advanced Propulsion Institute.

It was believed that running more propellant through a Hall thruster would wreck its efficiency, but new experiments suggest they might power a crewed mission to Mars.

Plasma thrusters used on satellites could be much more powerful

Ever since the first close-up picture of Mars captured in 1965, the hazy and pink world has revealed its mysterious veil. The pace of human exploration of the unknown universe has never stopped. Over the past decades, we have discovered that today&rsquo;s Martian wasteland hints at a once active world where volcanoes raged, and flash floods rushed over the land. Was there life on Mars? If Mars ever had life, there&rsquo;s a chance that the Martian soil may still contain traces. Space Concordia&rsquo;s Robotics Division of Concordia University focuses on building strong and intelligent rovers able to operate in harsh desert conditions, perform a variety of tasks with a mobile arm, and perform onboard experiments to detect signs of life in soil. The Division was formed as an engineering final project in 2012. Over the years, the Robotics Division has focused on different parts of the rover, from the multipurpose arm, to the mobile platform, to onboard science experiments, finally culminating in the current design. The team is dedicated to developing competitive projects within the domain of aerospace robotics.&nbsp;<h2>Project Background of Mars Rover</h2><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1673007791525-1673007791525.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The Mars rover that would act as an astronaut assistant for Mars exploration missions. The rover is designed as a mobile platform capable of housing three modules: a robotic manipulator, a scientific analysis module and an autonomous driving unit. RPWORLD is delighted to provide high quality and quick-turnaround customized parts, which would be used for the arm of robotic manipulator.&nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1673007823016-1673007823016.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><h2>Material Chosen </h2><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1673007906926-1673007906926.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">At RPWORLD, we stock 30+ production-grade plastic and metal materials that are suitable for various part applications and industries, and our engineering team will provide materials selection recommendations that match the diverse needs. In this case, we fully considered about the applications of rover robotic manipulator, using aluminum alloy for its light weight and great rigidity. In addition, the material offers high tensile strength and corrosion resistance. Those contribute to minimizing the parts size and weight for the arm and also having reasonable cost.&nbsp;<h2>Manufatacturing Process</h2>At RPWORLD, the advanced 3-, 4- and 5-axis CNC machines combining with automatic robot arm, offer great capability in quicker turnaround and tighter tolerance, and meet DIN ISO2768 medium (fine). This is perfect for the low-volume parts of rover robotic manipulator made of metal materials and required high precision. The engineering team took it seriously as every order, and soon got parts machined with automatic precision CNC machines. The high-quality parts were well-received by customer. We deeply understand that the recognition has never been accidental, the stability and consistency of high quality contribute to the current popularity of RPWORLD.&nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1673007939642-1673007939642.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1673007974461-1673007974461.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">

Ever since the first close-up picture of Mars captured in 1965, the hazy and pink world has revealed its mysterious veil. The pace of human exploration of the unknown universe has never stopped. Over the past decades, we have discovered that today’s Martian wasteland hints at a once active world where volcanoes raged, and flash floods rushed over the land.