Good Vibrations Engineering Ltd.

Home Dev. Projects Interactive Sim EMIS Paper VehicleConcept

Areology is the Mars Equivalent of Geology. This is an early sim, in support of science and vehicle integration. Our vehicle is unusual. Its targeted at subsurface mapping of Mars. It is an autonomous vehicle to hop over the Mars surface, looking for near surface briny water, based on electromagnetic induction sounding.

The Martian atmosphere is much thinner than Earth's, so flying while carry any significant payload is not on. Our vehicle - which admittedly looks like a flying saucer, is more like a rocket. It compresses Martian CO2 atmosphere to form propellant. This propellant is enough to let the vehicle make a 15 meter hop every day or two.

The simulation software optimizes a flight path, based on points you chose. The sim file includes a demo set. If you're not careful though, the simulation will go a bit crazy - as simulations are wont to do.

To support early concept issues, we have used our FE First design approach. - FE First. Generate a simple FE model, in advance of the CAD model. It's easier to add structure at early design stage, than to remove it later. And of course, the FE information in being incorporated into the sim - to support scientific mapping strategies.

Science

  • mapping of subsurface briny water with EMIS
  • drill to 1 meter at promising locations
  • significant issue: emi noise

Vehicle Concept

  • non-metallic
  • 5 kg compressed CO2 as propellant
  • hop traverse goal: 15m
  • diameter: 1 meter
  • power: solar
  • hop duration: 5.6-7.5 sec
  • mass: 100 kg

Distance Optimized

Crash Case - out of gas

Maximum Parallel to Ground

Calibration, Observation Jump