Invention:
This technology is a system to create a shock impulse on the ground. It operates through a gear-motor that rotates a crank which lifts a linear slider. The slider is mounted in a massive body hammer that compresses a concentric spring on the slider shaft when the gear-motor rotates the crank. This causes the crank to rotate freely and the hammer to drop, creating a shock impulse into a strike plate. The use of a one-way bearing prevents any kind of bounce back and chatter in the impulse signal.
Background:
This proposed technology fills the need to create an active seismic source on interplanetary landing spacecraft for the characterization of lunar and planetary geology. Natural seismic events are unpredictable both in terms of timing and content. Thus, an artificial signal created on demand and with a known seismic signal content is strongly desired. However, many terrestrial analogs require ordnance or are very heavy and require large power draw. This technology features a compact, lightweight design that relies on low power consumption, which as a result is much more desirable for spacecraft which have extremely limited resources for mass and energy.
The global space economy is expected to grow by more than $700 billion in the next 20 years, and with new technologies come more possibilities. Spacecraft are projected to see a CAGR greater than 8%. The proposed technology will work great when attached to spacecraft and with the demand and market growing, it opens up the possibilities of adding this technology to future spacecraft
Applications:
- Planetary geology
- Moon missions
Advantages:
- Lightweight
- Compact size
- Low energy consumption
- Predictable
- Autonomous repeatability
- No chatter
- Lack of ordinance charges
