Ocean Worlds are astronomical bodies—including moons, planets, and even comets—that harbor substantial liquid water, a fundamental ingredient for life as we know it. Several moons in our Solar System orbiting the outer planets have vast volumes of water beneath thick icy layers, making them prime candidates in the search for extraterrestrial life. Future missions to these moons envision landers deploying ice-penetrating vehicles, known as cryobots, to melt through the ice crust and explore the subglacial oceans. Among the engineering challenges, reliable communication technology is crucial for transmitting the valuable data collected by the cryobots back to Earth. This study delves into the development of the PARTI Pucks Prototype, a specialized radio frequency (RF) communication solution intended for cryobot missions in Ocean Worlds and glacial environments. The prototype's development process is examined, focusing on critical aspects such as mechanical design, material selection, and thermal analysis. The prototype comprises several key components, including a patch antenna, crossed-loop antenna, electronics, and a water-resistant enclosure. Finite element analysis (FEA) was employed to validate the structural integrity of the housing and the FAM board. To optimize heat dissipation and evaluate the internal temperature profile, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were utilized for thermal behavior assessments within the prototype. Material trade-offs and configurations were meticulously explored throughout the development process, while ensuring that custom components were designed with manufacturability, assembly, and disassembly in mind. The prototype demonstrated satisfactory structural and thermal performance, underlining its potential as a noteworthy advancement in RF communication technology for cryobots. Moreover, this development process is presented as an invaluable case study that provides critical insights into design considerations and challenges. The study culminates by highlighting the lessons learned and the significant contributions of the prototype to both communication technology and mechanical design in remote environments.
I Mondi Oceanici sono corpi astronomici—compresi lune, pianeti e persino comete—che ospitano notevoli quantità di acqua allo stato liquido, un ingrediente fondamentale per la vita. Diverse lune nel nostro Sistema Solare contengono enormi volumi d'acqua al di sotto di spessi strati di ghiaccio, rendendole candidate di primo piano nella ricerca di vita extraterrestre. Le future missioni su queste lune prevedono l'invio di lander che dispieghino veicoli in grado di penetrare il ghiaccio, noti come cryobot, per fondere la crosta di ghiaccio ed esplorare gli oceani subglaciali. Tra le sfide ingegneristiche, una tecnologia di comunicazione affidabile è fondamentale per trasmettere alla Terra i preziosi dati raccolti dai cryobot. Questo studio approfondisce lo sviluppo del Prototipo PARTI Pucks, una soluzione di comunicazione specializzata a radiofrequenza destinata a missioni con cryobot nei Mondi Oceanici e negli ambienti glaciali. Il prototipo comprende diversi componenti chiave, tra cui un'antenna patch, un'antenna a loop incrociato, l'elettronica e un involucro resistente all'acqua. L'analisi agli elementi finiti è stata impiegata per validare l'integrità strutturale dell'involucro e della scheda FAM. Per ottimizzare la dissipazione del calore, sono state utilizzate simulazioni di dinamica dei fluidi computazionale per valutare il comportamento termico all'interno del prototipo. I compromessi tra materiali e configurazioni sono stati esplorati durante il processo di sviluppo, garantendo al contempo che i componenti personalizzati fossero progettati tenendo presente la fabbricabilità, il montaggio e lo smontaggio. Il prototipo ha dimostrato prestazioni strutturali e termiche soddisfacenti, sottolineando il suo potenziale come progresso degno di nota nella tecnologia di comunicazione RF per cryobot. Inoltre, questo processo di sviluppo è presentato come uno studio di caso inestimabile che fornisce intuizioni critiche sulle considerazioni di progettazione e le sfide. Lo studio si conclude evidenziando le lezioni apprese e i significativi contributi del prototipo sia alla tecnologia di comunicazione che alla progettazione meccanica in ambienti remoti.
Mechanical design of an RF communications prototype puck to validate through-ice communications for Ocean World technology advancement
Guerrero Gonzalez, Veronica Isabel
2022/2023
Abstract
Ocean Worlds are astronomical bodies—including moons, planets, and even comets—that harbor substantial liquid water, a fundamental ingredient for life as we know it. Several moons in our Solar System orbiting the outer planets have vast volumes of water beneath thick icy layers, making them prime candidates in the search for extraterrestrial life. Future missions to these moons envision landers deploying ice-penetrating vehicles, known as cryobots, to melt through the ice crust and explore the subglacial oceans. Among the engineering challenges, reliable communication technology is crucial for transmitting the valuable data collected by the cryobots back to Earth. This study delves into the development of the PARTI Pucks Prototype, a specialized radio frequency (RF) communication solution intended for cryobot missions in Ocean Worlds and glacial environments. The prototype's development process is examined, focusing on critical aspects such as mechanical design, material selection, and thermal analysis. The prototype comprises several key components, including a patch antenna, crossed-loop antenna, electronics, and a water-resistant enclosure. Finite element analysis (FEA) was employed to validate the structural integrity of the housing and the FAM board. To optimize heat dissipation and evaluate the internal temperature profile, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were utilized for thermal behavior assessments within the prototype. Material trade-offs and configurations were meticulously explored throughout the development process, while ensuring that custom components were designed with manufacturability, assembly, and disassembly in mind. The prototype demonstrated satisfactory structural and thermal performance, underlining its potential as a noteworthy advancement in RF communication technology for cryobots. Moreover, this development process is presented as an invaluable case study that provides critical insights into design considerations and challenges. The study culminates by highlighting the lessons learned and the significant contributions of the prototype to both communication technology and mechanical design in remote environments.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/208773