Team Odysseus, consisting of 10 University of Bristol and BristolSEDS students, represents the university’s inaugural entry into the advanced stream of the Olympus Rover Trials competition. The team’s goal is to develop an innovative reconnaissance rover tailored for Mars cave exploration, aiming to excel in all testing areas of the competition. The rover’s functionalities include navigating dimly lit environments, providing visual feedback to operators, precisely drilling targets with its end effector, emerging from caves for solar cell charging, and transmitting data. The team’s design philosophy revolves around three key pillars: optimizing the precision of the robotic arm for drilling operations, enhancing resilience to rigorous vibration testing, and strategically integrating automation to minimize human intervention. Having completed the conceptualization and preliminary design phase, the team is currently engaged in prototyping and testing various subsystems such as the arm, solar panel deployment, wheels, chassis, electronics, and the communication systems. As the team continues the iterative process of prototyping and testing to refine the design, the next milestone is the critical design review, which will precede the official commencement of the rover build.

In an area of continuous technological advancements, the prospects of colonizing other planets, particularly Mars, has never been more tantalizing. Mars habitats are pseudoisolated systems, with strict requirements of occupancy, mass and energy. The thermoeconomic model proposed in this thesis provides a versatile tool of comparison between different habitat designs and mission specifications. The lack of resources and the environmental constrains make the study of these type of habitats complex. Hence, the necessity for assumptions and compromises, notably regarding parameters like temperature, humidity and pressure. This work introduces ARHS , a novel software tool for thermo-economic analysis of potential habitats at Arcadia Planitia, location on Mars, providing output reports. The research and analysis of the habitat system are split in three main categories which are life support systems (Oxygen/Carbon Dioxide levels), power generation/consumption (electricity, heating) and human factors (physical/mental limits). The categories are then split into classes; flows, systems and controllers which make the Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) used by the software more convenient. The aforementioned categorisation and classification are vital for the analogous representation and comparison of different mission or habitat inputs. By offering distinct outputs, ARHS enables a straightforward selection of the a most fit for purpose habitat for the mission or most suitable mission for the habitat. To ensure the precision and reliability of the code, extensive verification has been contacted, drawing data from analogue astronaut missions. ARHS empowers users to compare inputs and determine the best expedition, in manners of either habitat or mission parameters, based on either cost and resources. This groundbreaking software represents a leap forward in space expeditions, providing reliability, precision and much-needed standards. It simplifies the selection of missions and habitats based on their features and user requirements. Furthermore, by harnessing machine learning techniques, it can evolve from a comparison tool to an optimisation tool, creating a valuable database for future space endeavors.

This study investigates the use of KU’s ECT system for data collection during hybrid rocket engine test fires. The project focuses on conducting cold and hot flow tests with varying bore sizes of the fuel grains to capture ECT data. This data is then to be compared with other sensor readings to establish the ECT systems’ capability in providing insights into the internal dynamics of hybrid rocket propulsion.

A cubesat mission to map urban heat islands for sustainable city planning.

This poster presents a concise overview of the Systems Model Report for a technical space mission. It covers mission design objectives, payload specifications, and detailed analyses of mass and power budgets. The report includes trajectory planning, propulsion mechanics, communication systems design, ADCS specifications, structural integrity, and thermal control strategies. A comparative study of potential launch vehicles based on technical parameters is also featured. This model serves as a blueprint for designing and executing a highly efficient and technically sound space mission.

Vortex generators represent highly effective passive flow control devices aimed at enhancing the aerodynamic efficiency of a wing. Previous research has delved into optimizing vortex generators (VGs) based on factors such as VG position, level, skew, twist angles, height, and chord of the aerodynamically shaped VG. However, there has been limited exploration concerning the parametric study on the cross-section of the aerodynamically shaped VG and its tumble angle. Building upon the groundwork laid by researchers at KTH in devising aerodynamically-efficient VGs for enhancing the lift performance of a flying-wing UAV through computational fluid dynamics, this study focuses on a specific optimized Vortex Generator profile constructed from the S1233 aero foil profile. The normal configuration is computed based on the boundary layer thickness, δ, with a 0.15 ratio of upper surface to lower surface, a chord (c) of 47.33 mm, maximum thickness (t) of 9 mm, and a height (H) of 35 mm. Three different tumble angles (ρ) of 0°, 15°, and -8° are applied to this VG. The VG is then aligned in two conditions: Co-rotation and Counter Rotation, each with four different skew angles (β) of 0°, 5°, 13°, and 20°. In co-rotation, the periodicity (D) is set at 146.58 mm, while in counter rotation, the pair spacing (λ) is 76.3 mm, and the periodicity (D) is 172.9 mm. Figure 3 illustrates the periodic arrangement of the vortex generators. Subsequently, the vortex generators are affixed to a zero-pressure-gradient flat plate (1100 mm x 600 mm x 10 mm) for a detailed examination of the flow field. Particle image velocimetry measurements are employed to unravel the vortex dynamics and interactions between pairs of vortex generators and the turbulent boundary layer at various arrangements. This investigation aims to shed light on the ability of these vortex generators to control and enhance aerodynamic performance when applied to a wing.

CubeSat nano-satellites have emerged as a cost-effective solution for swiftly deploying payloads into orbit, owing to their lightweight design and utilization of common components such as the PyCubed motherboard and battery board. These components, known for their open-source programming and modular design, contribute to the popularity of CubeSats within the space exploration community. However, the susceptibility of CubeSats to mechanical failures resulting from intense vibrations and shocks presents a significant challenge, with a failure rate estimated at 40%. In response to these challenges, this dissertation project (conducted by a 3rd Year Mechanical Engineering student at Northumbria University) aims to address the reliability and durability of CubeSat nano-satellites through a multifaceted approach. Firstly, an analysis of past mission data and consideration of material science, vibrations, and control engineering principles will be conducted to better understand the underlying causes of failure. Subsequently, a Highly Accelerated Lifetime Testing (HALT) program will be developed to efficiently identify failure modes and improve reliability. By systematically addressing these issues, this project seeks to discover the modes of failure of PCBs within the CubeSat through rigorous vibration tests, mathematical and program-based analysis, so then we can have a baseline to establish, so that we may begin to improve the design of the satellites in terms of durability and sustainability.

What will be the future of continuing treatment? How can space technology elevate our current methodology in treating lifelong conditions? Science fiction often presents the use of orbital human satellite habitats as either utopic or dystopic, being light concerning a practical use. Utile medical applications in zero-gravity have fundamentally been researched-based, largely in pharmacology, with the complete absence of findings on numerous common conditions due to the nature of restricted access to orbit. Considering space commercialisation and easing of travel, the effect of zero-gravity on patients suffering from limited mobility symptomatic diseases presents a unique question. Current predictions are that zero-gravity environments would greatly benefit a significant number of these diseases. We argue that such a positive impact would be a key component of humanity’s relationship with orbital structures and the future of the wider space-medical field. We theorise a possible use case for these habitats concerning ongoing care, specifically in the treatment of patients with chronic rheumatological conditions. We have conceptually and graphically created a realistic form of one of these space clinics, diving into the technology used in each step from launch, assembly, and functioning. In our research, we inquire about the missing components, if any, and the feasibility of such structures. We present a possible advancement in treatment and aim to clarify the financial sustainability of these clinics. Our research results illustrate that: 1) the limited medical research and theories available indicate that such zero-gravity clinics provide a sufficient improvement for the quality of life of patients suffering from chronic rheumatoid arthritis and the viability of earnest investigation, 2) that the technology at our disposal is sufficient for the construction of these orbital clinics, and 3) the combination of the decreasing cost of space travel and demand indicates this is a propitious use case for permanent orbital structures.

Asclepios is an interdisciplinary student association with the goal of enabling analog space missions, offered exclusively by students for students. The goal of the project is to design an analog space mission a year, with the peculiarity of being the only international student-led analog mission worldwide.

AccoA CubeSat has been funded to investigate the effect of stellar flares on exoplanet habitability around M-dwarfs, the smallest, faintest and most prevalent stars in the universe. The flares will be detected via UV spectroscopy and will expand observations in the relatively limited UV domain. The spectrometers used in this satellite will be subjected to the LEO orbit’s harsh thermal, requiring a careful examination of their thermal performances. A setup combining a thermally-controlled breadboard, an Arduino board and several temperature sensors (DS18B20) were used to record the heat conduction pathways through the instruments, ascertain the dark current (DC) noise response at various selected ambient temperatures and determine the internal temperature generated by the spectrometers. Additionally, a thermal model of the entire CubeSat was built using a nodal network-based algorithm that represents the thermal system as a group of nodes, where each node is a specific location at which the temperatures and heat fluxes are calculated. Results indicated a ~7-10°C increase generated by the internal components. Furthermore, the dark current exhibited an anticipated decrease in noise with decreasing temperature. Finally, the thermal models yielded predicted temperatures in accordance with the expectations set by the CubeSat’s thermal design. These findings not only suggest optimal temperature conditions for the spectrometers but also offer insights for managing reduced dark current noise, enabling clearer spectra. The thermal simulations served as a verification tool for the satellite’s desired thermal design. Overall, this project contributes to a wider preliminary stage of thermal design for the CubeSat and help indicate the appropriate conditions for running the spectrometers.rdion Content