JumpinMars
Have you ever wanted a rocket pack to soar amongst the sky? Now you can … on Mars… Gravity is less, atmospheric density is less, and the vistas are breathtaking. So come to Mars...
Buck Rogers aside, Mars is an interesting environment for out-of-this-world mobility options for an explorer. This challenge asks for the definition of a conceptual mobility solution to allow an astronaut to easily and rapidly explore Mars including overcoming obstacles such as cliffs, ravines and other difficult terrain. The solution should be person-portable and any means or source of propulsion be locally produced.
This challenge can be answered by:
- producing an app to simulate your adventures in building your jet pack and flying around Mars;
- produce an app that provides the local gravity, atmospheric conditions (density, weather, anything-else-of-interest) to help decide what is needed for your jet pack design;
- perform a feasibility/conceptual study of an actual jet pack design that could use potential Mars fuel sources; or Design and Demonstrate a model scale jet pack using hardware.
An initial feasibility study lead us to the conclusion that with a current development in technology and the thin air environment on Mars, solar powered aerial navigation systems were not very feasible. Also, use of balloon/Montgolfier/gliders have limited scope in this context as payload to be carried (220kg Astronaut) is very high. And in addition to this the lift produced is low due to the atmospheric density being 81 times less than earth. Jet packs using fuel sources available on Mars are possible solutions, however the complexity of the system increases and in case of a mishap, reparability becomes a major issue.
The Solution is a completely human powered locomotive scheme to traverse the terrain of Mars. It makes use of the principle used in a Flybar. This is conceptual attempt for a mobility solution in Mars using human energy and minimal use of external sources of Mars. With this apparatus the Astronaut can hop around exploring Martian surface jumping at heights of about 4 feet. The Propulsion is provided by the pneumatic cylinder piston assembly at the bottom. Initially the actuator is locked in the compressed position for the astronaut to mount on it. Upon the press of a button the actuator is released and the astronaut continues with his jumping journey. The elastic constant of the pneumatic actuator can be controlled by merely changing the gas inside the pneumatic cylinder. This provides varying degrees of stiffness to the locomotive and can thus be robust to any situation. Further to land/finish the journey, a nozzle can be opened in the cylinder to make gas escape at a steady rate. The gas is refuelled at refuelling stations spread throughout the terrain of Mars or using a portable hand pump.
The side bars are used to make forward movement of the locomotive easier. It comprises of momentum weights attached to the handles through gears. This is in order to ensure that minimal effort is expended by the astronaut to move forward during the journey. The movement of weight shifts the centre of gravity of the system and thus helps in forward or backward movement. Also these weights can function as stabilizers to keep the astronaut at a place by using principle of an inverted pendulum.
This solution is practically and economically feasible with existing technology and thus we have “JUMPED” towards this solution.
- Solid Works 2013
- Andre Noth, "Conceptual Design of a Solar Powered Airplane for Continuous Flight", Master Thesis, ETH Zurich.
- http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/marsfact.html
- http://www.marssociety.org/home/about/mars-direct
- http://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/features/mars_airplane.html
- entertainment.howstuffworks.com/flybar.htm
