PARSEC
A second generation Martian subsurface ice harvesting robot prototype
Affiliation:
Northeastern University: NASA Mars Ice Challenge
Role:
Time Range:
Team Lead, Subsystem Lead, Mechanical Design Engineer
2020-2021
Skills:
Mechanical Design, Team Leadership, Mentorship, Education, Project Management, Budget Management, Timeline Management, CAD (Fusion 360), Testing, System Integration, Mechanical Design, Heated Systems, Fluid Transport Systems, Drilling Systems, High Vibration Systems, Stepper Motors, Linear Axes, Uncontrolled Environment, Waterproof Design, Complex Design, Compact Design, Sensing, System Controls, Data Collection, Extraterrestrial Engineering, Multi-Axis Systems, Novel Design, Technical Writing, Technical Communication, Competition
Background:
This project was the second year working on my first major engineering project. I joined our school's chapter of SEDS (Students for the Exploration and Development of Space) as a freshman during a leadership vacuum, which gave me the opportunity to serve as team lead for one of their flagship engineering projects despite my limited experience at the time. The project was sponsored by NASA as part of their Moon to Mars Ice and Prospecting Challenge. This competition challenged teams of university students to buid a prototype robotic system that could extract water from subsurface Martian ice while determining the composition and properties of the layers they drilled through to reach the ice. This robot was built from the groundwork of our entry in the previous year's competition, PRISMM.
Images:
My Contributions:
• Led a 20-person team of student engineers to an impressive performance at a NASA sponsored robotics competition
• Mentored, guided, and taught practical engineering skills to a team of student engineers
• Guided team through the impacts of the coronovirus pandemic, continued development of system while prioritizing safety
• Designed the melting and extraction system, which included a heated articulating probe that could save out a large hemispherical segment of ice underground while entering through a small bore hole. The system also included sensors and extraction tubes.
• Learned about waterproof and high temperature design for heating probe
• Contributed to the design of a number of subsystems including the carousel, z axes, frame, and electronics mounting
• Designed the Core Analysis Tool, which could take samples and pictures from the exposed subsurface bore hole
• Guided the integration of electrical, software, and mechanical systems
• Guided the development of a machine learning algorithm to guess what material was being drilled through
• Wrote academic deliverables summarizing our project, while learning about technical writing and communication
Outcomes:
We went on to perform very well at NASA's competition, winning the "Best Technical Paper" award. This one is very special to me, because we worked really hard to effectively communicate our system, and I think it showed in our final paper.
We also won second place overall, where we exceeded the amount of water collected in any previous year. This was an extrmely exciting outcome for a team staffed and led by underclassmen, competing in a competition with upperclassmen and graduate students.
We won the RISE Innovation award at our school's showcase conference, and had a news@northeastern article written about our experience.
Beyond accolades this project has left a huge fingerprint on my life and my engineering skills. Much of what I know now I learned from this project, and I appreciated the opportunities for friendship and mentorship formed throughout this project.