christheman200
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- Apr 21, 2014
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For one of my high school courses next year I will have to construct a lander capable of returning an egg safely to the ground.
I don't find this particularly interesting, so I'm going to be one upping the criteria and constructing an automated water rocket lander, sky-crane style, that will place an egg gently on the ground with no packaging to protect it. The criteria I have set out is as follows:
The egg must be placed on the ground intact.
The egg may not have any materials protecting it. Only a harness may be used to attach it to the sky-crane.
The egg must be initially positioned 50 meters above ground.
The egg must be returned via retro-water rockets, and a parachute may be used as long as it is not active upon touchdown.
The idea comes about from the Curiosity lander's unprotected nature upon touchdown. If NASA can land an unshielded 1 ton rover on Mars, why can't I land a simple egg on the ground?
For the automated descent I am thinking of using software from a quadrocopter to land softly, utilizing gyroscopic and altimeter sensors.
Their will be one or two pressure vessels, and 4 nozzles spaced out around the frame. Individual quick-response valves will control the thrust of each nozzle, in order to keep the pitch of the craft under control.
I will have access to a 3d printer with dual-extruders to print water soluble plastics, metal and wood CNC machines, and a machine shop once school starts back up. I can currently use SolidWorks, AutoCAD, and Inventor to model the craft, although I have access to just about every modelling software on the market.
I am looking for knowledgeable partners in this venture, especially in the areas of calculations and pressure tank materials. If you find this interesting please consider "joining the team"!
Is this possible from the rocket-systems point of view? Can the jets be fired long enough to make contact with the ground?
I don't find this particularly interesting, so I'm going to be one upping the criteria and constructing an automated water rocket lander, sky-crane style, that will place an egg gently on the ground with no packaging to protect it. The criteria I have set out is as follows:
The egg must be placed on the ground intact.
The egg may not have any materials protecting it. Only a harness may be used to attach it to the sky-crane.
The egg must be initially positioned 50 meters above ground.
The egg must be returned via retro-water rockets, and a parachute may be used as long as it is not active upon touchdown.
The idea comes about from the Curiosity lander's unprotected nature upon touchdown. If NASA can land an unshielded 1 ton rover on Mars, why can't I land a simple egg on the ground?
For the automated descent I am thinking of using software from a quadrocopter to land softly, utilizing gyroscopic and altimeter sensors.
Their will be one or two pressure vessels, and 4 nozzles spaced out around the frame. Individual quick-response valves will control the thrust of each nozzle, in order to keep the pitch of the craft under control.
I will have access to a 3d printer with dual-extruders to print water soluble plastics, metal and wood CNC machines, and a machine shop once school starts back up. I can currently use SolidWorks, AutoCAD, and Inventor to model the craft, although I have access to just about every modelling software on the market.
I am looking for knowledgeable partners in this venture, especially in the areas of calculations and pressure tank materials. If you find this interesting please consider "joining the team"!
Is this possible from the rocket-systems point of view? Can the jets be fired long enough to make contact with the ground?
