MARS INFLATABLE STRUCTURE

MENG 4313 PRELIMINARY REPORT

REPORT SUBMITTED BY:

Michael Issa _______________________________________________

Brian Kastli _______________________________________________

Alexander Hernandez _________________________________________

Ruben Perez _______________________________________________

Edgar Angeles _______________________________________________

Benjamin Addai ______________________________________________

Fei Wu_____________________________________________________

We certify that the narrative, diagrams, figures, tables, calculations and analysis in this report

are our own work.

DATE REPORT DUE: November 30, 2016

DATE REPORT SUBMITTED: November 30, 2016

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT TYLER, HOUSTON ENGINEERING CENTER

i
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The camera on the current Mars rover Curiosity, may have its view obstructed by rocks,

mounds or other higher obstacles when attempting to gather visual data for excavations or

navigation. A possible solution involves deploying an inflatable structure with a mounted

camera that provides an elevated viewing angle.

The structure will be inflated using the CO2 found in the Martian atmosphere by

equipping a low-power positive displacement pump connected to a CO2 tank and a valve. Since

the most essential factor in determining the structures rigidity is the pressure head, the

difference in outside and inside pressure, a high performance fabric/material is not required;

however, since the structure must not allow gases from escaping, a material that can prevent

osmosis is necessary.

The inflatable tower has been designed as a somewhat conical structure with a height

of 10 meters and a base diameter of 0.6 meters. Since the cameras weight may cause the

internal gases to disperse away from the peak, a reinforced material may need to be placed on

top of the structure in order to uphold the camera in position.

This report took into account the external forces from the Martian atmosphere acting

upon the structure, the internal forces from the gases, the heat transfer and fluid mechanics of

the CO2 being pumped into the structure, the time to inflate and deflate the structure, and the

dimensionless Reynolds number for Earth-based experimentation. The purpose of this report

is to provide an achievable engineering design and analysis for an inflatable structure mounted

on top of a Mars rover. Fluid mechanics, heat transfer, structural forces, and a possible Earth-

based experimentation were all taken into consideration.

ii
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................... ii

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 1
METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................. 2
Martian environment ....................................................................................................................... 2
Material Selection ............................................................................................................................. 3
Pump Design ..................................................................................................................................... 4
Inflation and Deflation times ........................................................................................................... 5
Structural Forces .............................................................................................................................. 7
Heat Transfer.................................................................................................................................. 10
RESULTS............................................................................................................................................. 13
Pump Design ................................................................................................................................... 14
Inflation and Deflation times ......................................................................................................... 20
Structural Forces ............................................................................................................................ 21
Heat Transfer.................................................................................................................................. 24
DISCUSSION ...................................................................................................................................... 25
Inflation and Deflation times ......................................................................................................... 25
Structural Forces ............................................................................................................................ 25
Heat Transfer.................................................................................................................................. 28
Dimensionless Analysis .................................................................................................................. 28
CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................... 30
REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................................... 31
APPENDIX .......................................................................................................................................... 35

iii
 INTRODUCTION

Since the beginning of space exploration, the possibility of another planet having the

capability to support life has always been a matter of interest to scientists. This curiosity led

to an unrelenting quest to explore planets for signs of it supporting life. Mars has become a

planet of interest due to the fact that the planet is believed to have once supported life due to

the evidence of permanent polar ice caps. However, the fact that the planet contains water

does not exclude its harsh environment. The planets extremely low temperatures provide a

cold and thin atmosphere, further complicating manned missions to the Red Planet [2, 3].

Humans are not capable of settling on Mars without the aid of robots, drones, and rovers. In

order to better understand the composition of the Martian atmosphere and geology, the

Curiosity rover was sent to Mars in order to retrieve data and aid scientists with their research.

This first step is essential in setting up preparations for a Martian habitat or colony.

Since a rover on Mars greatly assists scientists in conducting their research, it plays a

significant role in helping humans understand the conditions of the planet before deciding to

colonize it. NASAs curiosity rover is dependent on its cameras for a variety of reasons: from

surveying the Martian surface for rock samples to the preventative measures it takes in order

to avoid falling into a crater. The current design has four pairs of engineering hazard avoidance

cameras, two pairs of engineering navigation cameras, four scientific cameras for various types

of data analysis, and one descent imager [4, 5]. The rovers design is lacking in one aspect; the

fact that it cannot gather images above an obstacle in its path has proven to be a challenge that

must be addressed.

1
 METHODOLOGY

All the data, results and calculations are theoretical and cannot be tested

experimentally. The outline for this project plan begins by researching all of Marss

environmental characteristics for engineering calculations: gravity, atmospheric pressure,

ambient temperature, and composition of gases in the atmosphere. Once this information has

been researched, then the required mathematical equations derived from engineering textbooks

such as William Jannas Design of Fluid Thermal System, Moran Shapiros Fundamentals of

Engineering Thermodynamics, Frank Incroperas Introduction to Heat Transfer, and Russell

Hibbelers Mechanics of Materials along with online resources such as Wolfram Alpha will be

gathered and used in order to produce a logical engineering model representing the inflation

and deflation times, structural forces, and heat transfer between the system and the atmosphere.

Finally, a dimensionless analysis will be used to compare the results on Mars and Earth.

Calculations under certain assumptions will be made in order to deliver a somewhat accurate

representation of the fluid mechanics, heat transfer and other forces affecting the tower

(including the camera), and pump.

Martian environment

Given that the Martian atmosphere is very thin, the temperature and pressure can be

extremely low compared to Earths atmosphere, therefore inflating the structure could prove

to be a challenge using the atmospheric gasses. Also since the majority of the atmosphere

(approximately 96%) is composed of Carbon Dioxide or CO2, and because CO2 is non-

flammable, selecting it as the gas to inflate the structure would be the best choice [1]. In order

to raise the camera above obstacles, the tower must be inflated using a pump, tank, or

2
compressor. Researching the Curiosity rover shows that this specific rover can generate up to

140 watts when fully illuminatedup to four hours per sol (Martian day), and uses 100 watts

of that energy to drive around. Therefore, integrating a compressor onto the rovers system is

not possible. The only other viable options would be to either have a low power pump, a

compressed tank, or a combination of both.

Due to the low atmospheric temperatures, pressure ranges on Mars from 0.3 mbar to

11.55 mbar [1]. Taking into consideration that there are no positive displacement pumps that

operate at such low pressure ranges, a specially designed pump must be made in order to inflate

the structure using the CO2 from the Martian atmosphere. This specific pump could either be

a positive displacement pump, a rotary vane pump, or a centrifugal pump as long as it operates

within pressure and temperature ranges above 6 millibars and -55o C. The main concern in the

pump design would be the pressure head and flow rate. Inflation and deflation times can be

reduced using a pump with a higher flow rate, and the pressure head will determine how rigid

the structure will be.

As the rover is exploring Mars, the inflatable structure will be ready to deploy from the

rover while it remains attached to the rovers base. When the rover encounters an object

obstructing its view, the pump can be engaged to inflate the structure using the outside CO2

assuming a flow rate of 1000 gal/min.

Material Selection

After researching the Martian atmosphere and selecting an appropriate pump, a suitable

material must be selected for the inflatable structure. This material must be able to remain

relatively unaffected in extremely cold temperatures, withstand a pressure head up to 35 feet,

and be able to prevent gasses from escaping. A suitable material that can withstand high wind

3
velocity and the potential of flying debris/rocks from dust storms would be Kapton.

Kapton polyimide film possesses a unique combination of properties that make it ideal for

a variety of applications in many different industries [18]. The double aluminized version

has a tensile strength of 2.5 GPa [18] so filling up the inflatable structure should not be a

problem. This material is also capable of withstanding temperatures of up to 200oC while

retaining 80% of its strength [18]. Kapton provides a good balance of properties minimal

moisture retention, thermal stability, and excellent impact resistance.

Pump Design

The purpose of these calculations are to help design a pump that will inflate a tower of

three meters on Mars in a span of ten to fifteen minutes, where the tower has an inlet diameter

of 0.008 meters. Graphs representing RPM vs Power, as well as RPM vs Pressure Head were

constructed. The first step was to calculate the velocity using the following equation,

2
= = (1)
60

With the velocity, the Reynolds number was calculated and the flow was determined

to be laminar or turbulent with their respective formulas.

= (2)

64
= (3)

Assuming the inlet-outlet pressures and the inlet-outlet velocities to be the same,

Equation 4 was used to calculate the change in pressure head. The revolutions per minute vs

the pressure head of the pump propeller was then plotted on Figures 3 & 5 The propeller speed

was calculated by optimizing the radius based on 1000 revs/min using equation (5).

4
 1 = 2

1 = 2

2
= ( + ) 2 (4)

60
= 2 (5)

where is,

2
= (6)
60

Finally another graph was created comparing the propellers revolutions per minute to

the power being used. These results are shown on Figures 4 & 6. This was achieved by using

the following formula.

= (7)

Results show that the minimum required RPMs to inflate the 3 meter tower within 15

minutes would have to be a minimum 850 RPMs. A maximum of 1200 RPMs can be used to

fill the tower within 15 minutes. The RPM vs Time graphs are shown in Figures 7 & 8.

Inflation and Deflation times

Inflating the structure to the maximum height will require a certain amount of CO2 to

be flowed into the control volume in order for the pressure head to rise to 30 feet. Depending

on the selected size and specific shape of the structure along with other variables such as the

structure materials density and the pumps flow rate (including frictional losses), the inflation

and deflation times can be calculated by solving for the inlet and exit velocities using

5
Bernoullis Equation. Assuming the use of a specifically designed pump for Mars missions,

the inflation and deflation time calculations will be done under the following conceptual pump

specifications: it must have a maximum flowrate approximately equal to 1000 gpm or

0.0630902 m3/second, it must be able to supply a pressure head up to 35 feet or 10 meters, and

it must weigh less than 6 kg and not be larger than 30x15x20cm (LxWxH).

Assuming a theoretical design of a reversible pump with a flow rate of a 1000 gallons

per minute or 0.0630902 m3/second, and a total dynamic head of 35 feet or 10 meters is feasible

on Mars, then the required time to inflate and deflate a 30 foot conical structure with an

approximate volume of 3.77m3 using equation 8 and equation 9 would be about 1 minute.

2
= (8)
3

= (9)

An alternative method would involve the process of inflating and deflating the structure

by using a combination of a pressurized CO2 tank, a bypass valve, and a vacuum pump. This

method would involve a piping system routing the compressed tank around the pump using a

bypass valve for the inflation process, and routing the pump into the tank during the deflation

process. During the inflation process, a bypass valve will open and allow the compressed CO2

to travel through a pipe connecting the tank to the pump and the structure, bypassing the pump

and directly inflating the tower; once the required pressure head is met and the structure is rigid

enough, a control system will close off the bypass valve and save the remaining CO2 in the

tank. Also, because the valve is the only component in the system that would have to be

controlled for the inflation process, the rover would not have to power down any of its systems

in order to support the inflation process. Another benefit of this system would allow the

6
reusability of the same CO2. Making sure the bypass valve is closed, the idea would be to turn

on the vacuum pump and deflate the structure while returning all of the CO2 back into the

pressurized tank. Since the vacuum pump requires 100 watts of energy, this process can be

done once the mission is over and the rover is safe to power down [4].

Comparing the tank/vacuum pump system to the 100 watt pump to inflate and deflate

the structure: the tank/vacuum pump may inflate the structure faster since the compressed tank

has a high initial internal pressure, causing the velocity through the valve to be high as well;

the conceptual pump design may have a fast inflation time as well, but using this approach

would force the rover to power down its systems during the mission in order to power up the

pump. Depending on how long the entire mission is on Mars, the leak rate for the structure

and solid tank may have to be taken into consideration but will be ignored for now.

Structural Forces

Accounting for the velocity and density of the winds near the surface along with the

atmospheric pressure and temperature, the structural integrity can be analyzed by using

equations such as the bending moment and drag force. Provided that the rover has a base 7

feet long by 2 feet wide, the proposed towers diameter should be approximately 2 feet wide

and 30 feet tall (0.6 m x 10 m).

In this case, calculations are going to be derived and results calculated for both a 3

meter and 10 meter cone like structure that's to be inflated with the Mars atmosphere, mostly

made up of Carbon Dioxide. A theory going forward is that once the structure begins the

inflation process, there will be a drag force caused by the Carbon Dioxide flowing through the

structure. The cone structure presents an area perpendicular to the direction of the flow stream,

the gas moves around the structure causing pressure to be built within.

7
 One of the first calculations to be determined is the Coefficient of Drag, this can be

achieved by using either equation 3, Figure 1, or Figure 2.

24
= (10)

Figure 1 Cd for common geometries

8
 Figure 2 Cd versus Reynolds number

Since the stream of the fluid (wind) would be striking the cone from the side, the drag

coefficient can be assumed similar to a smooth cylinder because the drag coefficient for a

cones lateral side is not available.

Figure 2 uses Reynolds Number and the shape of the object to then find the drag coefficient.

Once a drag coefficient has been obtained, calculations for the drag force can be done at

different points on the structure using equation 11.

1
= (2 2 ) (11)

The maximum bending moment at the base of the structure can then be calculated using

equation 12.

= (12)

9
Heat Transfer

The same heat transfer principles that apply on Earth also apply on Mars. The three

components that will be analyzed in this project are the carbon dioxide tank, the pump and the

inflatable structure. To simplify the system, the pump and tank will be assumed as hidden

away from direct solar exposure, reducing the number of heat transfer equations concerning

radiation. Since these two main components will not be exposed to the suns radiation, the

only calculations for radiation will be done on the inflatable structure. Also, conduction and

convection forces will be considered for the entire system.

The heat transfer analysis begins by obtaining the coefficient of convection. The

convection coefficient will be the same on all three components since they are all exposed to

Marss atmosphere of carbon dioxide.

Before calculations are made, the Reynolds number must be found in order to

determine whether the wind acting on the structure is behaving in a laminar or turbulent flow.

Using equation 13,

= (13)

the Reynolds number with a fluid density of 0.016 kg/m3, a velocity of 30 m/s, a diameter of

50 m (assuming a large number since the rover is out in the open) and a dynamic viscosity of

1.105x10-5 is calculated as 2.18x106. Based on the calculations above the system is turbulent,

therefore turbulent equations will be used for the heat transfer calculations.

Both the pump and tank and pump can be analyzed as cylinders where the area can be

found using equation 14.

10
 = 2 + 2 2 (14)

The tank and pump will both be made out of aluminum 6160 with a thermal

conductivity k, of 167 w/mk. The inflatable structure will be treated as a truncated cone for

calculation purposed. First, the lateral area of the cone must be found by using equation 15,

= (1 + 2 )((1 2 )2 + 2 (15)

and then it will be substituted into the surface area equation 16.

= + (12 + 22 ) (16)

The surface area will be used in the conduction equation. Convection will be calculated

through equation 17,

= (1 2 ) (17)

while conduction will be calculated using equation 18,

1 2
= 2 (18)
ln( 2 )
1

since the pump and tank can be approximated as cylindrical shapes. The ambient temperature

of Mars is 218.15 Kelvin, and will be used for T2 while 200 Kelvin the point before carbon

dioxide freezes will be used for T1.

For radiation, the general equation to calculate the amount of heat radiated from one

body to another can be determined by equation 19,

= (19)

11
where I is the intensity of the radiation, A is the surface area of the sun, and is the solid angle

from the Sun to Mars. Knowing the surface area of the inflatable structure As and the distance

away from the sun L, the solid angle can be evaluated using equation 20.

= (20)

It is also important to determine the amount of radiation energy emitted by the sun, which can

be calculated using equation 21,

4
= (21)

where is the Stefan Boltzmann constant 5.67x10-8 W/m2k4 and T is the temperature of the

sun. The amount of radiation energy emitted by the sun is then used to calculate the intensity

of the radiation using equation 22.

= (22)
2

12
 RESULTS

The equations that were used to obtain the results in Tables 1 and 2 are all found in

Table A 2.1. The two long tables will be broken up into smaller tables. Further explanation

of each smaller table will be provided in the next report. These results show the various

calculations that were taken into consideration in order to determine whether the project can

be accomplished.

Table 1 Selected results based on Mars Atmosphere

Parameters Value

Maximum wind velocity on Mars 30 m/s

Density of CO2 = 0.016 kg m3

Reynolds Number for CO2 Re = 189.3

Dynamic Viscosity for CO2 = 1.015E-5 Pas

Gravity on Mars gMars = 3.72 m/s2

Table 2 Geometric values for the inflatable structure

Parameter Shorter Structure Taller Structure

Height of structure H=3m H = 10 m

Diameter of base D = 0.5 m D = 0.6 m

Density of Kapton = 1.42 kg m3 = 1.42 kg m3

Volume of Structure V = 0.589 m3 V = 3.77 m3

Lateral Surface Area of Structure Asurface = 0.515 m2 Asurface = 18.88 m2

13
 Table 3 Selected results for the pump

Parameter Shorter Structure Taller Structure

Flow rate from Theoretical Pump Q = 1000 gpm or Q = 1000 gpm or

0.0630902 m3/s 0.0630902 m3/s
Flow rate from compressed CO2 tank Q = 500 L/min Q = 500 L/min
or 0.0083 m3/s or 0.0083 m3/s
Flow rate at inlet Compressed CO2 Q = 8.5x10-4 Q = 1.6x10-4
tank
Flow rate at inlet Theoretical Pump Q = 1.6x10-4 Q = 2.9x10-4
Pressure Head 3m 10 m

Pressure Drop 0.1786 Pa 0.592 Pa

Power - Theoretical pump 0.0113 W 0.0373 W

Power - Vacuum pump 0.0015 W 0.0050 W

14
 Table 4 Mass properties and Bending Moment

Parameter Shorter Structure Taller Structure

Mass of camera mcamera = 2 lbs or mcamera = 0.908 kg

0.908 kg
Mass of Rover Mr = 899 kg mr = 899 kg
Total Mass of structure mtotal = 3.106 kg mtotal = 3.106 kg
Bending Moment of Wind on Mw-3 = 38.94 Nm Mw-10 = 8.21 Nm
Structure
Bending Moment of Rover on W = 3336.2 N W = 3362.2 Nm
Structure

Table 5 Selected results based on shorter inflatable structure

Parameter Shorter Structure Taller Structure

Total Time to inflate structure t = 60 min t = 209 min

(pump)
Total Time to inflate structure (CO2 t = 109 min t = 384 min
tank)
Total Time to deflate structure t = 70 min t = 452 min
(pump)
Total Time to deflate structure t = 9 min t = 60 min
(Vacuum Pump)
Drag Coefficient Cd =2 Cd = 0.1267

Drag Force Fd = .22806 Fd = 0.2374 N

Drag Area of Structure Adrag = 0.25 m Adrag = 0.3 m

15
Pump Design

Figure 3 RPM vs. Pressure Head of 3 m Tower

16
Figure 4 RPM vs. Power of 3 m Tower

Figure 5 RPM vs. Pressure Head of 10 m Tower

17
Figure 6 RPM vs. Power of 10 m Tower

Figure 7 - Time for 3 m Tower to inflate respect to RPM

18
Figure 8 - Time for 10 m Tower to inflate respect to RPM

Figure 9 Inflation Time comparisons between both towers

19
Inflation and Deflation times

Inlet

Inflatable Structure

Figure 10 System configuration using tank and pump

Bypass Valve 0.298 m z2 = 10 m

CO2
CO2 0.402 m Inlet
0.3 m

z1 = 0 m

0.7 m

Figure 11 Piping configuration including

dimensions using tank and pump

Inlet

Inflatable Structure

Figure 12 System configuration using outside CO2 and

reversible theoretical pump

20
 Using a refillable 5 lb. compressed CO2 tank [3], commercial steel pipe with an inner

diameter of 8 mm, a bypass valve (assuming a loss coefficient similar to an angle valve, 2),

and two flanged 90o elbow bends, the calculated time required to completely inflate the

structure and achieve a final pressure head of 30 feet (or 10 meters) is approximately 266

minutes [A-3.2].

The following vacuum pump was selected for this design analysis because it meets

power requirements, has a decent flow rate, and is compact enough to fit on top of the rover.

The Rocker 500 Oil Free Laboratory Vacuum Pump has a maximum power rating of 100

Watts, a maximum flow rate of 28 L/min, a net weight of 5.2 kg and dimensions of

29.8x14.3x17.2cm (LxWxH). Since the volume of the structure V, is approximately 3.77 m3,

and the flow rate Q, is 28 L/min, then the time it would take to deflate the structure is

approximately 1 hour and 35 minutes [A-3.3].

Table 6 Time to fully inflate structure based on height.

Cylinder Height Inflation Time

3 meters

10 Meters

Structural Forces

The maximum moment, which included the maximum drag force and maximum

distance away from the rover (top of the structure), for the 3 m tall and 10 m tall structures

were approximately 40 Nm and 400 Nm, respectively. The drag coefficient Cd, of a cone

21
(with the fluid streaming from the side) is closely related to the drag coefficient of a smooth

cylinder.

Drag Coefficient in respect to the Diameter of Tower

1.70
1.60
1.50
Drag Coefficient

1.40
1.30
D= 0.6m
1.20
D= 0.3m
1.10
1.00 D= 0.15m

0.90
0.80
1.00E+03 1.00E+04 1.00E+05
Reynolds Number

Figure 14 Drag Coefficient

Table 7 Reynolds numbers and drag coefficients

22
 Table 8 Drag forces on structure.

Moment of 3m high tower Moment of 10m tall tower

50 500

Moment of Tower (Nm)

Moment (Nm)

40 400
30 300
20 200
10 100
0 0
0 10 20 30 0 10 20 30
wind speed (m/s) Wind Speed (m/s)

Figure 15 Bending Moments

The pressure drop was calculated by multiplying the pressure head the height of the

tower by the density of CO2 and the gravitational force on Mars. The pump powers were

calculated by multiplying the pressure drops with the flow rates.

23
Heat Transfer

Table 9 Heat Transfer calculations (Conduction & Convection)

Table 10 Heat Transfer calculations (Radiation)

24
 DISCUSSION

The height of the inflatable structure should be sufficient enough to rise above large

rocks, small hills and provide a viewing angle into craters and trenches. A wide viewing angle

can be provided by using a camera with a fisheye lens. The camera will be mounted on a flat

surface located at the top of the cone, and will be enclosed within a dome-like structure.

Inflation and Deflation times

After analysis of the two competing designs with the pump some issues arise making

one option the best to pursue. The first pump design would require NASA contractor engineers

to research and certify pump requirements can be safely met for a long mission to Mars. This

setup in which the conceptual pump is included will not require a compressed CO2 tank or a

vacuum pump. Since the conceptual pump will be able to inflate the structure in a timely

manner and deflate it using its reversibility, this would be the leading system arrangement.

However, this approach would require a lot of time and money to invest in.

The alternative design including the compressed CO2 tank and vacuum pump has

proven to possess somewhat comparable results. Since the tanks internal pressure is much

greater than the atmospheric pressure, the initial assumptions were that the velocity and hence

the flowrate would have been a lot higher than using a pump to inflate the structure. However,

the results prove otherwise. Further analysis was carried out on Simulink, and the results are

shown in Appendix A 3.3.

Structural Forces

The density for CO2 and Kapton as well as the volume and surface area of the cone

were used to calculate the entire weight of the structure after inflation. The gravity on Mars

and the mass of the rover were used to calculate the weight of the rover. Figure 2 shows the

25
drag coefficients relative to the Reynolds number for a smooth cylinder (dashed line). Three

different diameters of the structure were taken into calculation due to the change in diameter

with respect to height. Table 3 shows the three different drag coefficients with respect to the

three different diameters. Table 4 shows the computed drag forces that were calculated for

both the 3 m and 10 m tower, where D. the diameter varies at 0.6, 0.3, 0.15 m. The drag force

was calculated using equation 11.

The moment was calculated using equation (3); which was calculated with the smaller

diameter because that is where the highest moment would be calculated with the respect with

the height of the tower, which is seen in Figure 7.

Maximum wind velocities and the surface area of the structure were used in order to

solve for the maximum drag force from the outside wind on the structure. This was taken into

consideration in order to determine whether the wind hitting the structure would flip the rover,

however the drag force equation concludes that a negligible bending moment occurs on the

rovers weight, even when using the 10 m structure; this could be due to the thin atmospheres

density or the drag coefficient value taken on the flat surface of a cones geometry.

26
 Figure 16 - CAD Sketch of Conical Structure

Figure 17 - CAD Sketch of the conceptual pump design

27
 Figure 16 shows a rough sketch of the inflatable structure. The flat surface on the top

will that will accommodate the camera has a diameter of 0.1 meters. Figure 17 shows the

conceptual pump design for particular use on Mars missions. This positive displacement pump

would have to be reversible and made from a certain material that is able to resist radiation.

Heat Transfer

Heat generation is an incredibly important factor in this project because if something

was not taken into consideration, the entire system could potentially fail. Everything on the

rover is exposed to convection, conduction and radiation. The rover is made mostly out of

metal and contains many electrical systems.

The results show that if a tank setup alone were used, then approximately 70 kW/m2K

of heat would be transferred away from the system. However, adding the pump into the setup

would generate 13 kW/m2K of heat, so the two components together would result in 57

kW/m2K of heat being lost. The heat generated by the inflatable structure assuming a material

thickness of 10 cm results in 337 W/m2K of heat being generated. Convection results were

significantly lower. The heat transfer from the atmosphere showed signs of heat being lost,

which was predicted due to the extremely low temperatures on Mars. Heat transfer from

radiation also seemed to have a noticeable effect on the system. The heat generated on the

structure alone due to the solar rays was calculated to be 22.5 kW.

Dimensionless Analysis

Geometric similarity was utilized to reduce the size of the prototype. The Mach number

similarity was avoided by assuming incompressible flow. Since there were no fluid interfaces,

the surface tension and therefore Webber number was not necessary. The Froude number was

28
not considered either since gravity was assumed not to affect flow patterns. Because the height

of the structure is 10 m, a geometric similarity limiting the height of the prototype is necessary.

Also, dimensionless analysis was used to solve for P2 to give a better idea of the tensile strength

required from the structures material. The entire analysis is shown in Appendix C.

29
 CONCLUSION

Calculations proved that a 3 meter tall structure would not be feasible with the design

requirements due to the flow rate results containing imaginary complex numbers. However,

the calculations made on the 10 meter model in this research project, proved that the model

was indeed feasible and safe to design. The inflation & deflation times using a theoretical

pump are ideal, however the pump design would require a generous amount of power. Heat

transfer analyses showed that the structure and pump system are adequate enough to withstand

heat loss effects due to the harsh Martian environment. The reasoning for using a conical shape

is to limit the amount of bending force created at the tip of the structure. The reasoning for

using a conical shape is to limit the amount of bending force created at the tip of the structure.

The diameter of the base ought to be approximately 0.6 meters in order to endure a maximum

bending moment resulting from high wind velocities. Bending moments were calculated using

the drag coefficient & drag force, and were found to be relatively insignificant to the structural

integrity of the inflatable tower.

Force calculations, along with heat transfer calculations and inflation times prove that

the 10 meter structure is safe enough and feasible to design on Mars. The dimensionless

analysis comparing the actual project to a replicated experiment on Earth is discussed in

Appendix C. The project description including detailed requirements and specifications for a

design project are included in Appendix D.

30
 REFERENCES

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latitudes", 2016 [Online]. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1977JGR....82.4364S.

[Accessed: 17- Sep- 2016]

[2] James, Donald. Mars Facts." NASA. NASA.gov, 2016[Online]

http://quest.nasa.gov/aero/planetary/mars.html. [Accessed: 17- Sep- 2016].

[3] Mellon, J. T.; Feldman, W. C.; Prettyman, T. H. (2003). "The presence and stability

of ground ice in the southern hemisphere of Mars". Icarus. 169 (2): 324340,

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[Accessed: 23- Sep- 2016].

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http://mars.nasa.gov/msl/mission/rover/. [Accessed: 26- Oct- 2016].

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Available: http://mars.nasa.gov/msl/mission/rover/eyesandother/. [Accessed: 26- Oct-

2016].

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http://quest.nasa.gov/aero/planetary/mars.html. [Accessed: 23- Sep- 2016].

[7] Mars Balloon Static Lift Calc.xlsx, BlackBoard.com Discussion Board [Online].

Available: https://blackboard.uttyler.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-107298-dt-forum-rid-

5178143_1/xid-5178143_1. [Accessed: 23- Sep- 2016].

31
[8] "Carbon dioxide properties," in Engineering Tool Box. [Online]. Available:

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/carbon-dioxide-d_1000.html. Accessed: Sep. 20,

2016.

[9] 2016. [Online]. Available:

http://faculty.dwc.edu/sadraey/Chapter%203.%20Drag%20Force%20and%20its%20

Coefficient.pdf. [Accessed: 27- Sep- 2016].

[10] "Air Properties Definitions", Grc.nasa.gov, 2016. [Online]. Available:

https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/airprop.html. [Accessed: 27- Sep-

2016].

[11] "MER Technical Data". Hobbiton.thisside.net. N.p., 2016. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.

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[13] "Rocker 500 Oil Free Laboratory Vacuum Pump, 28 liters/minute",

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http://www.newstarenvironmental.com/rocker-500-oil-free-laboratory-vacuum-pump-

28-liters-

minute.html?utm_source=google_shopping&prod_id=20&gclid=CjwKEAjwy8bABR

D5osXMovTHpmQSJACfZY0F44MgqGJFHMnpm1a8kZ8T32lWv4K4I-

xGj20uveZuWBoCQdTw_wcB. [Accessed: 27- Oct- 2016].

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cylinder-aluminum-

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 new/?gclid=CjwKEAjw7svABRCi_KPzoPr53QoSJAABSvxfvLeuUWor9eV7TuU45

but-MF3XX8FvuTCK3TR53mtsxoCrMPw_wcB. [Accessed: 28- Oct- 2016].

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[Accessed: 28- Oct- 2016].

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immersion-sump-pumps.htm. [Accessed: 02- Nov- 2016].

[18] Admin, "Product solutions," 2016. [Online]. Available:

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films/brands/kapton-polyimide-film.html. Accessed: Nov. 2, 2016.

[19] "ASM Material Data Sheet", Asm.matweb.com, 2016. [Online]. Available:

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[21] "Thermal Conduction/Thermal Convection Heat Transfer Calculations Using

Thermal Resistances", Brighthub Engineering, 2016. [Online]. Available:

33
 http://www.brighthubengineering.com/hvac/62074-combined-thermal-conduction-

and-convection-heat-transfer-calculations/. [Accessed: 04- Nov- 2016].

[22] "Thermal Conductivity of Metals", Engineeringtoolbox.com, 2016. [Online].

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d_858.html. [Accessed: 04- Nov- 2016].

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[Online]. Available: http://www.slideshare.net/vishalgohel12195/athe-

ppt140123109003. [Accessed: 04- Nov- 2016].

[24] "Volume of a circular truncated cone Calculator", High accuracy calculation for life

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[25] Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity, NASA Facts. 2016 [Online]. Available:

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/fact_sheets/mars-science-laboratory.pdf. Accessed:

Dec. 01,2016

34
 APPENDIX

A1:
A 1.1 Nomenclature
Ac = Cross sectional Area

As = Surface Area

2 = Density of CO2

2 = Viscosity of CO2

V = Volume

v = Velocity

Re = Reynolds Number

Cd = Drag Coefficient

Fd = Drag Force

M = Bending Moment

35
 A 1.2 Assumptions
Environment on Mars [4, 6]

Maximum wind velocity, v = 30 m/s

Density of CO2, 2 = 0.016 kg/m3

Atmospheric pressure, Patm = 600 Pa

Average temperature, Tavg = 218 K

Gravity, gMars = 3.72 m/s2

Environment on Earth [8]

Maximum wind velocity, v = 100 m/s

Density of air CO2, 2 = 1.229 kg/m3

Atmospheric pressure, Patm = 1.01 kPa

Average temperature, Tavg = 288 K

Gravity, gEarth = 9.81 m/s2

Rover

Base dimensions: 2.134 m x 0.61 m

Weight: 899 kg

Inflatable Structure

Shape: Cone

Material of structure: Kapton

Density of material, m = 1.4 kg/m3

Height, h = 10 m

36
 Diameter, D = 0.6 m

37
 A 2:
A 2.1 Formulas
1. Volume of a cone:

2
=
3

2. Surface area of a cone:

= 2 + 2

3. Drag coefficient using Stokes Law for Re < 1500:

24
=

4. Drag coefficient for Re > 2100:

= 2

Flat surfaces on cone. [7] (page 4, Table a)

5. Drag Area/Cross Sectional Area of cone in the middle:

( )
= 2

6. Reynolds Number inside structure:

7. Reynolds Number outside on Mars (max wind speed):

38

=

8. Reynolds Number outside on Earth (max wind speed):

9. Drag force:

1
= ( 2 )
2

10. Time to inflate:

11. Flowrate:

12. Bernoullis Equation:

1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2
+ + 1 = + + 2 + ( + )
2 2 2

13. Bending Moment:

14. Total mass:

= + 2 +

= + 2 + 0.91

39
15. Convective Heat transfer:

= (1 2 )

16. Conductive Heat Transfer:

1 2
= 2
ln (2 )
1

17. Pump Surface Area:

= 2 + 2 2

18. Lateral Area:

= (1 + 2 )((1 2 )2 + 2

19. Surface Area:

= + (12 + 22 )

20. Radiative Heat Transfer:

21. Radiation Energy:

4
=

22. Solid Angle:

=
2

23. Intensity:

24. Pressure Head:

1 2
25. =

26. Reynolds dimensionless similarity:

40

=

A 3:
A 3.1 Calculations
A 3.1.1 Inflation time for 10 meter structure
using theoretical pump

41
 64
=
12.611

Substituting f into solve_V, or

Solving for V (using WolframAlpha):

= 0.023 m/s

Therefore, inflation time at laminar flow will take much longer.

Vturbulent = 7.7 m/s >> Vlaminar = 0.023 m/s

42
43
A 3.1.2 Inflation time for 3 meter structure

using theoretical pump

44
45
46
A 3.1.3 Inflation time for 10 meter structure
using compressed CO2 tank

47
A 3.1.4 Inflation time for 3 meter structure
using compressed CO2 tank

48
A 3.1.5 Deflation time for 10 m structure using Theoretical pump (reversible)

A 3.1.6 Deflation time for 10 m structure using Vacuum pump

A 3.1.7 Deflation time for 3 m structure using Theoretical pump (reversible)

A 3.1.8 Deflation time for 3 m structure using Vacuum pump

49
50
A 3.1.4 Forces acting on structure

51
A 3.1.5 Heat Transfer Equations

52
A 3.2 Pump Design Calculations

53
 A 3.3 Simulink Results

Inflation of 3 m cone Pressure vs Time Inflation of 3 m cone Flowrate vs Time

Inflation of 3 m cone Volume vs Time

54
Deflation of 3 m cone Pressure vs Time Deflation of 3 m cone Flowrate vs Time

Deflation of 3 m cone Volume vs Time

55
 Inflation of 10 m cone Pressure vs time Inflation of 10 m cone Flowrate vs time

Deflation of 10 m cone Flowrate vs time

Inflation of 10 m cone Volume vs time

Deflation of 10 m cone Volume vs time Deflation of 10 m cone Pressure vs time

56
 B 1:

B-1 Charts & Figures

B-1.1 Drag Coefficient of various geometries

Figure B 1.2: Drag Coefficient versus Reynolds Number

57
Physical Properties Value

Ultimate Tensile Strength 231 MPA

Density 1.42 g/cc

MIT Folding Endurance 6,000 cycles

Coefficient of Thermal Conductivity 0.12 W/(m*K)

Thermal Coefficient of Linear Expansion 20 ppm/K

Specific Heat 1.09 J/g*K

Initial Tear Strength 46.9 N

Impact Strength 76 N*cm

Poissons Ratio 0.34

Electrical Properties Value

Dissipation Factor 0.0026

Dielectric Strength 154 kV/mm

Dielectric Constant 3.5

Radiation Properties Value with 1000 h exposure

Tensile Strength, % Initial Value Retained 100

Elongation, % of Initial Value Retained 74

Figure B 1.3: Material Properties

58
 B 2:
B 2.1 Equipment and materials list:
The project consists of an inflatable object that will lift the camera ten meters

high. The materials consist of a vacuum pump, KaptonTM polyimide film, and a valve.

Materials List

Item Description Quantity Cost

(US dollars)

CO2 Cylinder Compressed CO2 tank 1 $52.80

Vacuum Pump Rocker 500 Oil Free Vacuum Pump, 28 L/min 1 $383.00

Bypass Valve Auto Bypass Valve 22mm 1 $16.60

KaptonTM Polyimide film 1 $30/m

Total $752.40

59
 C 1:

Dimensionless Analysis

The inflatable structure will be modeled using flow around immersed bodies. This will

allow a prototype to be tested on Earth inside of a wind tunnel in order to simulate atmospheric

conditions that occur on Mars. The key dimensionless group necessary for accurate modeling

is the Reynolds number, from which turbulent or laminar flows will help assess the flow rates,

pressure heads and drag forces since the density, velocity, and diameter are dependent upon

these equations;

Where and are diameter and height of prototype and and are diameter and height

of model respectively. Reynolds number similarity is achieved by equating the Reynolds

number of the prototype to that of the model as shown below:

Where , , , and are density, velocity, diameter and dynamic viscosity of the prototype

and , , , and are density, velocity, diameter and dynamic viscosity of the model

respectively. Once these conditions are met, then drag force similarity will also be met as

shown,

= ( )2 (/ )2

60
Where and are drag force and area of the prototype and and are drag force

and area of the model respectively.

The pressure inside the tube can be by limiting the pressure head , to the height of

the structure to find the pressure inside the tube. This can be achieved by using equation,

1 2
=

where P1 is the pressure within the compressor, P2 is the pressure inside the tube, is the

density of the fluid (carbon dioxide), and g is the acceleration due to gravity. For simplicity, P2

is only calculated for the 10 m structure in which case H equals 10m. The height of the

prototype needs to be limited. The equation to use is,

Using = 10m, = 0.6m and assuming = 0.03m, = 0.5m.

The Reynolds number on Mars is calculated using equation 21.

For the purposes of similarity, rearranging equation 22.

and solving for the velocity , = 72107 m/s. Because Mach number similarity is to be avoided

by assuming incompressible flow, testing the prototype in a wind tunnel filled with carbon

dioxide will defeat this purpose. Therefore, testing in a water tunnel may be appropriate. The

velocity required for water tunnel testing is = 0.84 m/s. This new velocity is low enough for

61
the assumption of incompressible flow to hold and thus avoid Mach number similarity. Using

equation, A 2.1.9, the drag force for the model on Mars on the 10 m structure is calculated

to be 0.274 N and 5.81x10-9 N for the water tunnel prototype.

Also, rearranging the equation and solving for 2 ,

2 = 1 10

The pressure needed in the structure to fully inflate and maintain rigidity is 12.273 kPa on

Earth and 12.409 kPa on Mars.

62
 D1

Project Description

As NASA prepares to send humans to Mars in the near future, the Curiosity rover was

designed to champion this cause. The life span of the rover is limited by its power supply

system so the ability to speed up exploration activities is critical. Two major components of

the rover designed to avoid unnecessary terrains and also steer towards places of interest are

the Mast Camera and the ChemCam. The Mast Camera is mounted at about human-eye height

to help the rover see elevated objects around its immediate surroundings. The ChemCam is

designed to see objects that are 7 feet away [25]. Although these two cameras perform as

expected, the presence of rocks and mountains over the height of the human eye level still

present a significant challenge that must be addressed. The position of the Mast Camera is

constrained by the overall height of the rover therefore an alternative solution is necessary. The

rover could be redesigned and made taller than the current height so that the Mast Camera can

be placed at a higher level but this is not feasible due to size and weight constraints. In the

absence of the height and weight constraints, a higher camera without the ability of height

adjustments will not be able to see objects that in-between the highest elevated camera and the

lowest mounted cameras that are on the body of the rover. This project seeks to mount a

secondary high elevation camera by using an inflatable tube of 10 meters high. Since the

average human eye level is below 2 meters high, the secondary camera will aid in detecting

any obstacle that is above the Mast Cameras sight. The secondary camera is a progressive

scan imager which will be able to detect objects from its lowest position all the way to the

highest position as the tube inflates. Currently, there is no known existing solution for the

problem described and that is why the idea of the inflatable tube needed to be pursued.

63
 E1

Gantt Chart & Hours worked

HOURS PER PERSON

Michael 7 + 4 + 16 + 17 + 10 = 54

Brian 7 + 10 + 13 + 10 = 40

Fei 7 + 7 + 7 + 10 = 31

Ruben 7 + 18 + 10 = 35

Alex 7 + 17 + 10 = 34

Edgar 7 + 20 + 10 = 37

Benjamin 7 + 14 + 10 = 31

64