Cornell Mars Rover Projects
Astrobiological Technology Subteam
IMG_5410.movMixing Chamber
I designed this slider crank mixing mechanism to effectively combine soil and water for three separate soil samples using only one motor and eliminating cross contamination. Because URC gives a mass and cost cap and we are also limited by the funds we have available, minimizing cost and mass is imperative to this design as well.
The purpose of the Science task is to test the environment for signs of extinct and extant life by analyzing soil and rocks. Our Science subteam has concluded that in order to obtain accurate data from the soil, we must perform on-board colormetric chemical tests to evaluate levels of nitrogen, phosporous, and potassium in the soil. The soil that we collect must be thoroughly mixed with water in order for the colormetric tests to yield comprehensive results. At competition, we are tasked with evaluating three different soil samples without cross-contamination to ensure that the data we collect is specific to each sample site.
Materials and Manufacturing
I researched to develop the simplest mechanical solution to the given problem, minimizing cost and mass by only using one motor to power mixing in three separate chambers. The piston, crankshaft, and connecting rod were manufactured out of Delrin® plastic due to its lightweight yet sturdy properties and its bearing capabilities for Aluminum 6061. The aluminum pins were designed to be manually machined on a lathe to keep the design simple and to reduce manufacturing time. I chose to 3d-print the "legs" (purple connector with three members extending downwards in the CAD) and "feet" (teal components attached to the bottom of the "legs") so they would modular. This would give me the opportunity to replace them with different feet designs to test which design would give us the best mix. These PLA parts are coated in XTC-3D High-Performance 3D Print Coating to waterproof them and give them a smoother finish.
More about Cornell Mars Rover and my role on the team
Cornell Mars Rover is a 50+ person project team that aims to design, build, test, and compete a semi-autonomous rover that can complete various different tasks that a real Mars Rover would. Every year, we take the rover to Utah to compete in the University Rover Challenge hosted by the Mars Society. I worked as part of the Astrobiological Technology Subteam to prepare the mechanical side of what the rover needs to be successful in the Science Task. In Spring 2021, I was also the Science Task Lead, so I was tasked with leading a task team of 12 members from various subteams in testing the rover in the science task in order to ensure that we will be prepared for competition. For Fall 2021-Spring 2022, I was the the Astrobiological Technology Subteam lead, which required me to closely lead a 6-person team through the entire design process of a system to enable the Science Task. Now as Team Lead,
Our 2021 Systems Acceptance Review Submission
Report on the Research and Brainstorming phases
Sunaya Reddy - End of Semester Report.pdfReport on the Design phase
Reddy, Sunaya & Kernan, Niamh FA20.pdf