June 16th 05, 06:30 PM
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMB8W5TI8E_index_0.html
Pioneering technology to explore other planets
European Space Agency
16 June 2005
Drilling holes on other planets and inventing novel textiles to secure
large structures in space are just two of the 27 challenges that expert
teams have been working on in the first year of ESA's Innovation
Triangle Initiative.
"By combining the creativity of the inventor, the needs of end users
and
the production experience of industry we have created strong drive and
a
very successful synergy to identify, demonstrate and verify novel ideas
for future space technologies," says Marco Guglielmi, head of ESA's
Technology Strategy Section and one of the founders of ESA's new
Innovation Triangle Initiative.
The Innovation Triangle Initiative (ITI) started in March 2004 and in
just 12 months surpassed all expectations by kicking off 27 projects,
fully validating the basic objective of quickly verifying the potential
of new ideas and technologies. One of its main goals is to explore
technologies or services which although not designed with space in
mind,
do have the potential for use in space.
Intelligent textiles for large space structures
One project focused on creating innovative materials, based on
intelligent textiles, to build large deployable structures and booms on
spacecraft to support solar panels, antennas and, in the future, solar
sails.
Solar panels for energy production on spacecraft are folded during
launch and then unfolded once in orbit to many times their launch size.
This requires expandable, strong, stable but ultra-light support
structures. Instruments and other spacecraft elements also need long
booms, which can be folded during launch and then take their predefined
much larger final form once in space.
In the future, huge 'sails' powered by solar particles could be used to
push spacecraft through space, in the same way that sails power yachts
through the sea. Solar sails would have to cover an area of at least 10
000 square metres and need ultra-light and extremely large rigid
structures of booms to hold them in place, a feat difficult to realise
with today's techniques.
The Italian company Grado Zero Espace came up with the idea of using an
'intelligent' textile to construct the extremely light and very long
deployable booms that would be needed. The textile would be created by
combining state-of-the-art materials and technologies such as carbon
nanotubes, novel rubber-like materials named 'nematic elastomers' and
special three-dimensional warp-knitted textile-based membranes.
The nematic elastomer nanocomposite material allows for a novel
electromechanically actuated membrane for the reversible deployment of
inflatable structures. As it is electromechanically actuated this
membrane presents an alternative solution to the present inflated
structures that need to be rigidified.
Nematic elastomer composites are prepared by spreading carbon nanotubes
on to a rubber matrix, with the nanotubes pre-aligned in one
preferential direction. Due to this alignment of the fibres, the
material's properties are different along this direction. When an
external electric field is applied, the nanotubes try to re-orient
themselves and cause a change in shape of the whole rubber composite.
This shape change was successfully exploited in a membrane prototype to
generate a controlled bending movement, demonstrating the potential use
for reversible and irreversible deployment of structures in space.
The project was completed in just nine months, mainly due to the
combination of skills and expertise of the three parties involved. The
Cavendish Laboratory of Cambridge University in the UK has much
experience in the use of nematic elastomers; Grado Zero Espace has been
carrying out research for many years on 'intelligent' textiles; and the
Spanish company NTE has constructed many large structures for
spacecraft.
Drilling in space
Another ITI project carried out research into new technologies for a
soil penetrometer or 'mole', to collect samples of granulose soil on
other planets. Collecting and analysing samples increases our
understanding of other planets, and of how our universe was created and
fits together.
D'Appolonia from Italy proposed a penetrometer with a novel
ultra-compact nutating gearbox invented by STAM, an Italian company
specialising in flexible mechanical manufacturing systems. The two
companies got together with the DLR Institute for Space Simulation in
Germany that developed the subsurface penetrometer for the Mars
Express's Beagle lander, as DLR are very interested in reducing the
size
of this equipment for future missions.
The three partners combined their experience to investigate how to
develop a more compact version to carry sensors to investigate
mineralogy, organic compounds and water content in soil.
"Space exploration is done in harsh environments, with limited support
from outside and where repairs are seldom possible. Systems must be
autonomous, very reliable, light and compact to launch," says Marco
Freire, ESA's ITI Project Manager. "The proposal to use a nutating
gearbox is an interesting idea that could lead to significant
innovation." Beagle's subsurface penetrometer used a train of four
planetary gears with more than 20 internal gears to reach the reduction
ratio of 280 needed to penetrate the Martian surface. With a nutating
gearbox, the same reduction ratio can be reached by using just one set
of four bevel gears, thus reducing weight, size and the gear's
complexity. This could result in more reliable and longer lifetime. A
new STAM development for an even better performing gearbox, with a
'double-face' configuration, will allow volume to be reduced even
further.
Novel ideas help Europe's space sector
The new ITI initiative has proven to be a sound complement to existing
ESA technology programmes and has introduced novel ideas to the
European
space sector. It has also created closer collaboration between
inventors, developers and customers, generating a constructive synergy
for technology innovation.
The long-term objective is to help establish a highly creative and
dynamic industrial environment in Europe, thus contributing to a more
competitive European space industry.
Pioneering technology to explore other planets
European Space Agency
16 June 2005
Drilling holes on other planets and inventing novel textiles to secure
large structures in space are just two of the 27 challenges that expert
teams have been working on in the first year of ESA's Innovation
Triangle Initiative.
"By combining the creativity of the inventor, the needs of end users
and
the production experience of industry we have created strong drive and
a
very successful synergy to identify, demonstrate and verify novel ideas
for future space technologies," says Marco Guglielmi, head of ESA's
Technology Strategy Section and one of the founders of ESA's new
Innovation Triangle Initiative.
The Innovation Triangle Initiative (ITI) started in March 2004 and in
just 12 months surpassed all expectations by kicking off 27 projects,
fully validating the basic objective of quickly verifying the potential
of new ideas and technologies. One of its main goals is to explore
technologies or services which although not designed with space in
mind,
do have the potential for use in space.
Intelligent textiles for large space structures
One project focused on creating innovative materials, based on
intelligent textiles, to build large deployable structures and booms on
spacecraft to support solar panels, antennas and, in the future, solar
sails.
Solar panels for energy production on spacecraft are folded during
launch and then unfolded once in orbit to many times their launch size.
This requires expandable, strong, stable but ultra-light support
structures. Instruments and other spacecraft elements also need long
booms, which can be folded during launch and then take their predefined
much larger final form once in space.
In the future, huge 'sails' powered by solar particles could be used to
push spacecraft through space, in the same way that sails power yachts
through the sea. Solar sails would have to cover an area of at least 10
000 square metres and need ultra-light and extremely large rigid
structures of booms to hold them in place, a feat difficult to realise
with today's techniques.
The Italian company Grado Zero Espace came up with the idea of using an
'intelligent' textile to construct the extremely light and very long
deployable booms that would be needed. The textile would be created by
combining state-of-the-art materials and technologies such as carbon
nanotubes, novel rubber-like materials named 'nematic elastomers' and
special three-dimensional warp-knitted textile-based membranes.
The nematic elastomer nanocomposite material allows for a novel
electromechanically actuated membrane for the reversible deployment of
inflatable structures. As it is electromechanically actuated this
membrane presents an alternative solution to the present inflated
structures that need to be rigidified.
Nematic elastomer composites are prepared by spreading carbon nanotubes
on to a rubber matrix, with the nanotubes pre-aligned in one
preferential direction. Due to this alignment of the fibres, the
material's properties are different along this direction. When an
external electric field is applied, the nanotubes try to re-orient
themselves and cause a change in shape of the whole rubber composite.
This shape change was successfully exploited in a membrane prototype to
generate a controlled bending movement, demonstrating the potential use
for reversible and irreversible deployment of structures in space.
The project was completed in just nine months, mainly due to the
combination of skills and expertise of the three parties involved. The
Cavendish Laboratory of Cambridge University in the UK has much
experience in the use of nematic elastomers; Grado Zero Espace has been
carrying out research for many years on 'intelligent' textiles; and the
Spanish company NTE has constructed many large structures for
spacecraft.
Drilling in space
Another ITI project carried out research into new technologies for a
soil penetrometer or 'mole', to collect samples of granulose soil on
other planets. Collecting and analysing samples increases our
understanding of other planets, and of how our universe was created and
fits together.
D'Appolonia from Italy proposed a penetrometer with a novel
ultra-compact nutating gearbox invented by STAM, an Italian company
specialising in flexible mechanical manufacturing systems. The two
companies got together with the DLR Institute for Space Simulation in
Germany that developed the subsurface penetrometer for the Mars
Express's Beagle lander, as DLR are very interested in reducing the
size
of this equipment for future missions.
The three partners combined their experience to investigate how to
develop a more compact version to carry sensors to investigate
mineralogy, organic compounds and water content in soil.
"Space exploration is done in harsh environments, with limited support
from outside and where repairs are seldom possible. Systems must be
autonomous, very reliable, light and compact to launch," says Marco
Freire, ESA's ITI Project Manager. "The proposal to use a nutating
gearbox is an interesting idea that could lead to significant
innovation." Beagle's subsurface penetrometer used a train of four
planetary gears with more than 20 internal gears to reach the reduction
ratio of 280 needed to penetrate the Martian surface. With a nutating
gearbox, the same reduction ratio can be reached by using just one set
of four bevel gears, thus reducing weight, size and the gear's
complexity. This could result in more reliable and longer lifetime. A
new STAM development for an even better performing gearbox, with a
'double-face' configuration, will allow volume to be reduced even
further.
Novel ideas help Europe's space sector
The new ITI initiative has proven to be a sound complement to existing
ESA technology programmes and has introduced novel ideas to the
European
space sector. It has also created closer collaboration between
inventors, developers and customers, generating a constructive synergy
for technology innovation.
The long-term objective is to help establish a highly creative and
dynamic industrial environment in Europe, thus contributing to a more
competitive European space industry.