group
What campus are you from?
Daytona Beach
Authors' Class Standing
Olivia Tamer, Junior Nicolai Diaz, Junior Abirami Srenivasan, Junior Sebastian R. Guerrero, Junior Parth Thakar, Freshman Vaidehi Saini, Freshman Amaris Paranjattu, Freshman
Lead Presenter's Name
Olivia Tamer
Faculty Mentor Name
Sathya Gangadharan
Abstract
The Micro-Nauts, developed under NASA’s Micro-G NExT challenge, strive to positively impact lunar and deep space missions through extravehicular activities (EVA). As Aerospace Engineering students, they have the common passion of addressing real, current space exploration needs and gaining relevant engineering experience. The passive capture tool dock provides the durability, reliability, and ease that is necessary for all EVA’s that will take place in NASA’s upcoming Artemis missions. When a human is in a non-traditional environment performing highly important tasks, the last thing they want to do is struggle with a simple component that keeps their tools attached to them. EVA maneuvers and activities should not be stressful; they should be convenient and intuitive, and this prototype provides this exact experience. The EVA Toolpad concept focuses on providing a secure, modular, and efficient way to carry and access tools during extravehicular activities. This device is unique because it allows the astronaut to only worry about establishing a firm grip on their EVA tool, rather than struggling with buttons or sharp edges. The device can be secured into place by inserting the toolside part (male component) with the beltside part (female component), and simply rotating it 45 degrees clockwise. This process will be referred to as “insert and twist motion.” A coiled spring on the toolside rotates as protruding teeth engage a gear system linked to the spring. As the teeth mesh, the coil rotates 45 degrees counterclockwise. This continues as the beltside nubs follow the toolside slot. When the toolside reaches its limit and the spring rotates 45 degrees, a flat feature on the spring gear teeth locks onto the beltside teeth, forcing the nubs to rotate clockwise into a surrounding slot on the toolside. This actuation makes the device self-assembling once full translation is achieved. The device is composed of an Aluminum-Lithium alloy due to its lightweight properties and resistance to thermal fluctuation.
Did this research project receive funding support from the Office of Undergraduate Research.
No
EVA Tool Passive Attachment Device
The Micro-Nauts, developed under NASA’s Micro-G NExT challenge, strive to positively impact lunar and deep space missions through extravehicular activities (EVA). As Aerospace Engineering students, they have the common passion of addressing real, current space exploration needs and gaining relevant engineering experience. The passive capture tool dock provides the durability, reliability, and ease that is necessary for all EVA’s that will take place in NASA’s upcoming Artemis missions. When a human is in a non-traditional environment performing highly important tasks, the last thing they want to do is struggle with a simple component that keeps their tools attached to them. EVA maneuvers and activities should not be stressful; they should be convenient and intuitive, and this prototype provides this exact experience. The EVA Toolpad concept focuses on providing a secure, modular, and efficient way to carry and access tools during extravehicular activities. This device is unique because it allows the astronaut to only worry about establishing a firm grip on their EVA tool, rather than struggling with buttons or sharp edges. The device can be secured into place by inserting the toolside part (male component) with the beltside part (female component), and simply rotating it 45 degrees clockwise. This process will be referred to as “insert and twist motion.” A coiled spring on the toolside rotates as protruding teeth engage a gear system linked to the spring. As the teeth mesh, the coil rotates 45 degrees counterclockwise. This continues as the beltside nubs follow the toolside slot. When the toolside reaches its limit and the spring rotates 45 degrees, a flat feature on the spring gear teeth locks onto the beltside teeth, forcing the nubs to rotate clockwise into a surrounding slot on the toolside. This actuation makes the device self-assembling once full translation is achieved. The device is composed of an Aluminum-Lithium alloy due to its lightweight properties and resistance to thermal fluctuation.