 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 by Jimi Russell for GRC News Cleveland OH (SPX) May 20, 2020
It's rocky. It's sandy. It's flat. It's cratered. It's cold. The surface of Mars is a challenging and inhospitable place, especially for rovers. As future missions to Mars become more complex, NASA's robotic wanderers will need new technologies to look deeper into the history of the Red Planet. One of those technologies is an innovative new tire in development at NASA's Glenn Research Center using innovative shape memory alloys (SMA). Tires made from these shape-shifting materials offer unmatched durability because they flex with the terrain unlike current rigid wheels. They can actually envelop rocks without the risk of puncture. And they can be designed to provide a smoother ride - almost like adding shock absorbers - to minimize potential damage to systems on the rover. "Glenn began working with the U.S. tire industry years ago to develop a better non-pneumatic, or airless, tire for the Moon," said Vivake Asnani, lead tire engineer at Glenn. "This led to an advanced tire known as the Spring Tire, constructed using a network of steel springs, that adapted and contoured to terrain like a traditional rubber tire." Glenn engineers have since replaced the conventional steel with springs made of SMA to improve a rover's ability to operate in extremely rocky terrain and at the cold temperatures of Mars. This is appealing to mission planners for future use on Mars because of its lighter weight, traction performance and durability. Engineers are now refining SMA materials processing, working designs and completing environmental testing on a new Mars tire at Glenn's Simulated Lunar Operations Lab. "We're developing a Mars-grade material that greatly improves SMA capability and makes reversible material deformations possible in the harsh Martian environment without sacrificing performance," said Dr. Santo Padula, lead SMA materials and design engineer at Glenn. Testing has proven the tire's superior grip meets or exceeds all traction performance demands and will give rover drivers the ability to cross varying terrains. The more capable tires also allow for a rover design using four tires as opposed to the past six-tire configurations. So, in the case of future human exploration or robotic missions, these tires can provide valuable flexibility in the vehicle and spacecraft design. The next of NASA's Mars exploration missions, Mars 2020 and its Perseverance rover, is scheduled to launch in July. Meanwhile, engineers at Glenn will continue to mature SMA technologies for applications on Mars and here on Earth, including passenger vehicle, military and aircraft tires. A concept SMA passenger tire has been tested, and could eventually replace conventional air-filled tires, eliminating the risk of punctures and driving under-inflated, while improving fuel efficiency and safety. Top image: The new shape memory alloy rover tire developed for the harsh Martian landscape is tested at NASA Glenn's Simulated Lunar Operations Laboratory. Credits: NASA + Related Video: SMA passenger tire
NASA's Perseverance Rover Spacecraft Put in Launch Configuration Pasadena CA (JPL) May 08, 2020 Engineers working on NASA's Perseverance rover mission at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida have begun the process of placing the Mars-bound rover and other spacecraft components into the configuration they'll be in as they ride on top of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The launch period for the mission opens on July 17 - just 70 days from now. Called "vehicle stacking," the process began on April 23 with the integration of the rover and its rocket-powered descent stage. One of the fi ... read more
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Google
