milky way

West Sacramento, CA | Let It Go (Without A Bang)

Awards & Nominations

milky way has received the following awards and nominations. Way to go!

Global Nominee

Mechanical Bolt Release

High-Level Project Summary

We created a mechanical release mechanism, designed to separate two components of a spacecraft. The design consists of a cylindrical screw component housing a compressed spring (attached to one of the two components), and a rotating cap (attached to the second component). By rotating the cap, the cap is “unlocked” from the cylindrical component, allowing the compressed spring to release its potential energy and push the two components apart. Our design is superior to pyrotechnics, as our smoother release mechanism allows for greater reusability and prevents damage to nearby components. Additionally, our simple design means the separation process will be quick and reliable.

Link to Project "Demo"

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1BWrAJBExf-Lsazxmmsdvk_N9lmzshZQZsvKcnYCl1sc/edit#slide=id.g2c3e8f7ec1_0_0

Link to Final Project

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/188UJdbpggA5UuX_WJO4REnNoqrzfgZIE?usp=sharing

Detailed Project Description

The project in itself is a replacement to the currently used pyrotechnic bolts by NASA in their satellites and as a form of separation. This replacement we developed is a spring-loaded bolt that transitions from the use of pyrotechnics to something that could function much smoother. By having a low impact reusable bolt such as this one we can lower manufacturing costs, not only for the bolt but for all surrounding parts. Our solution creates no space debris. It can withstand preloads of 1800N with a factor of safety of 2 makings, in addition only containing 3 parts in the system (outer casing, cap, and spring) this makes our solution very reliable. All of this is achieved while abiding by the 44mm long and 10mm diameter constraint as well as being fully reusable. The development/testing of this project was primarily done through the use of CAD where the design could be visualized and certain restrictions and variables set on it such as the material and other contributing factors. The main hope for the project and the design is to be able to remove the concerns and situations that NASA may encounter through their use of pyrotechnics such as potential hazards, it is an explosion after all, along with the factor of space debris by installing something that is fairly simple to construct, easy to function and is most importantly reusable.

Space Agency Data

Throughout the design process, we were inspired by the docking systems used on previous spacecraft. Both the Apollo, and Space Shuttle spacecraft were capable of docking and decoupling without the use of pyrotechnic bolts. The process had to happen multiple times so components could not be damaged.

Thus we often looked to diagrams of past spacecraft (two of which are below) to help inspire our design. It is because of these designs that we looked to incorporate a spring mechanism and an “unlocking” mechanism into our design.

https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/CSM11_Docking_Subsystem_pp87-92.pdf

https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/593865main_AP_ST_Phys_ShuttleODS.pdf

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19840017027/downloads/19840017027.pdf

Additionally many of the materials that we tested and used where based off the materials that NASA had listed which are used for manufacturing parts for use in space or during launch.

Hackathon Journey

This hackathon was one of the most instructional and funnest experiences that I personally had and I'm sure my team would agree. With basically no prior experience for most of the team we learnt:

Solidworks 3D CAD
Solidworks simulation
3D printing using Ultimaker printer and Cura for slicing
the rapid prototyping and design process
engineering drawings and discussions
Sleeping late but waking up energized >:)
pivoting designs and accepting criticism

We are all freshman aerospace engineering students so this challenge was not only interesting to us but also a great opportunity to learn all these relevant skills as opposed to a more coding oriented challenge which have less to do to our major and interests.

The approach we took was one of flexibility and constant iteration. It was rare to go 30 minutes without a question or criticism which would make major changes to our designs.

Big thanks to you guys for setting this up, my teammates for being down to do this, Jose Mojica the ESDC manager and Prakhar Agarwal for making accommodations and opening the center for us to be able to print over the weekend.