Space Apps Challenge 2018

Sylar | Design by Nature

Awards & Nominations

Sylar has received the following awards and nominations. Way to go!

Global Nominee

The Challenge | Design by Nature

Design an autonomous free-flyer to inspect a spacecraft for damage from Micro-Meteoroid and Orbital Debris (MMOD).

SKIN, a Sensitive Kinetic Intelligent Net

Inspired by the internal structure of the human skin we have tried to make proprioceptive the TPS' tiles. When an impact breaks the borosilicate cover, it breaks the resistance wire placed immediately under it, opening the circuit and triggering the alarm

Sylar

TheChallenge |Design by Nature


Introduction


Let'sstart by defining some premises for a better understanding of thesituations that we will analyze in this presentation.

Thechallenge is to optimize the development of an extravehicular flyingobject inspired by the natural world, which must be able to inspectthe external structure of a spacecraft (e.g. Space Shuttle) in thequickest and most effective way.


Accordingto the latest products produced, the thermoprotectiveceramic coatinghas three characteristics:

  • Lightness:as the Shuttle has a larger surface than the spacecraft as used forthe Apollo program.
  • Reusability:unlike previous disposable thermal shields.
  • Fragility:given the low density, for a matter of lightness.
    • Atthe moment one of the most effective methods to inspect the vehicleis the use of a robotic arm called the OrbiterBoom Sensor System,at the end of which there is a series of inspection instruments.Alternatively,once in the vicinity of the International Space Station, the crewperforms a rendezvouspitch maneuver,so that you can take high-resolution photographs of the heat shield. Theambition (goal) of our project is to provide a new tool for mappingthe damage caused by MMODs(Micro-Meteoroid and Orbital Debris) in order to optimize the flightplan of the Free-Flyer inspection/repair module.

    Inspiredby nature


    Ifwe think of what is the "hardware" instrumentation that thehuman body uses to locate a critical area like a wound, we mustnecessarily lead back to a structure similar to our skin. Dividedusing the fractal method, each of its epithelial cells is organizedinto tissues, which are arranged to form the skin - the largest organof our body.
    Inthe same way, the nervous tissue that comes out of it is arranged inbundles that become axons. These finally run along the spine in orderto reach the centralnervous systemmore quickly and efficiently, responsible for processing the data.

    Amongthe various functions of the skin we recall the most significant:

  • Protection:as a physical barrier against external aggressions.
  • Sensitivity:thanks to the nerve endings organized in different types ofcorpuscles (thermoreceptors, nociceptors, baroreceptors ...)
  • Thermalregulation: with a blood supply higher than its metabolic needs,it manages to regulate the internal temperature of the body thanksto the vasodilating-vasoconstriction mechanism.

    • Itis usually divided into:
  • Epidermis:harder and more resistant, acts as a physical protection and iseasily renewable.
  • Dermis:lighter and more abundant, it is found under the epidermis and isrichly vascularized and innervated

    • SKIN– Sensitive Kinetic Intelligent Net
    Asseen in the introduction, the Space Shuttle uses a thermal protectionmodule consisting of individual cells, divided in:
  • Anabundant and foamyinner material (90%empty), very light in silicon fiber;
  • Athinner and harder borosilicateouter coatingthat acts as physical protection.

    • Fromnow on we are going to consider these two layers assimilated to theDermis and Epidermis of S.K.I.N.
    Leavingthe shield as designed, it already provides two of the three mainfunctions of the skin:
  • Protection:providing the first barrier between the outside and the inside ofthe spacecraft
  • Thermalregulation:since the dark cover can repel about 95% of the heat protecting thealuminum hull.

    • Thegoal is to implement a sensory capture method on HRSI tiles, withoutchanging the fundamental structure of the shield or fuselage, makingsure not to damage the main structure, and adding less weightpossible to the vehicle.
    Theconstruction of the electrical system at the base of the project willalso take into account the beam structure of the CentralNervous System,to optimize the transfer of information.


    FundamentalUnit


    Thefundamental element of construction, similar to the SKIN cell, isexternally and structurally very similar to HRSI. In this way we willnot change the fixing procedure and the anatomy of the fuselage.


    However,adding a few simple elements we can make our tile "nociceptive",able to detect every small trumatic event that involves itsepidermis.
    Thedamagedetection mechanismworks as follows:

    Acoil like the one shown in the figure is placed at the interfacebetween the foam and the borosilicate coating. It represents theresistance of an RLC circuit designed to be closed and oscillating.

    Followingan impact phenomenon the continuity of the track is interrupted byopening the circuit and triggering the alarm signal.
    Wetook inspiration from the functioning of the animalepidermis in the form of freenerve endings: following a damage tothe cortical surface, the penetration into the dermis of an externalcompotent stimulates or damages these terminations by sending adanger pulse first to the cerebellum (to activate the reflected arc)then to the brainto process the data of the event just happened.

    Bibliography
  • PinkerS., how the mind works,traduzione di Massimo Parizzi, Castelvecchi editore, 2017
  • SadavaD., Heler H. C., Orians G.H., Biologia.La scienza della vita, ZanichelliScienze, 2010.
  • MilgromG., SpaceShuttle Thermal Protection System,February 2013. Free iTunes ebook download.https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/space-shuttle-the...
  • OrtolaniG., Venturi E., Manualedi elettrotecnica ed automazione,II edizione Hoepli, 2017.
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