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This project is solving the Spacecraft Thermal Power Consumption challenge. Description
Our project offers an innovative technological solution to the Robotic challenge: “spacecraft thermal power consumption”. Since the goal of this challenge was to determine the power available on the spacecraft for doing science by estimating the power that will be consumed by the thermal system. We choose to suppress the variable, thermal power, from the equation and to increasing the produced power in order to have more science power.
As our team was mostly composed by architecture students, we have questioned the shape of the spacecraft itself instead of making mathematical investigations. Knowing that the sphere is the geometrical form that would have a larger surface exposed to the sun, we started to explore the possible application for spacecraft.
Inspired by the Robert Bigelow's aerospace and by the Hauberman's sphere we have decided to propose an operating system composed of two spherical structures that are retractable and expendable. If these two spherical structures are filled with nitrogen and linked by a system of turbine and tubes (2 cylindrical tubes), that would allow the convection motion of warm and cold air. This operating system would lead to a natural regulation of the internal temperature. The temperature balloons inside would offer a suitable environment for the scientific exploration and for all the instruments used for experiment.
Besides the thermal regulation, this convecting system would produce energy with solar panel placed on the structure gaps in order to be directly exposed to the sun. In fact, the system we are proposing enables a lean management of solar energy captured by a satellite in orbit around Venus. The energy captured by the system will be used for all the subsystems required to keep the spacecraft healthy, alive and ready to be exploited and for services to be run or provided by the spacecraft.
Project Information
License: Common Public Attribution License 1.0 (CPAL-1.0)
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