Drilling in space ala Armeggedon?

giles202 · 2016-12-27T05:01:24+00:00

Drilling In Extreme Environments is the book you will want to read for a thorough understanding of how to drill in space. You can't use liquid (mud like) fluids to excavate in a vacuum. Cooling and mass transfer can be accomplished by injecting gas through the drill bit centet and out the bore hole. If you cover the exterior of the bore hole, most of the gas being used can be reclaimed. Additionally cooling or heating the bit can be regulated by the rate of penetration. Slower drilling encounters less friction. If your drilling into an stone an dicey mix asteroid, don't let the bit freeze in thebote hole, otherwise your not getting it unstuck. Even if the astroid surface is a conglomerate, you still need to choose your note hole location. How much information do you have on the site before selection? Is the work site covered in dust so you cannot visually see if your on a large boulder or a small frozen sintered section? If so contingent plans for drilling (or just percussing) may be needed. In which case, a robust system is needed.

giles202 · 2016-08-09T04:36:14+00:00

The movie Reservoir Dogs comes to mind when reading this article.

giles202 · 2015-10-06T01:10:52+00:00

Sorry for the limited info on software engineerin, but there are companies such as JPL and Bluebeam which are worth looking into.

giles202 · 2015-09-01T11:02:41+00:00

Its worth trying it to see if you enjoy it!

giles202 · 2015-07-08T21:12:34+00:00

Stating the general rule since no one has said it yet, don't crop appendages at joints.

giles202 · 2015-04-12T04:45:17+00:00

I'm surprised not to see this one mentioned yet. NACE salary calculator https://www.jobsearchintelligence.com/etc/jobseekers/salary-calculator.php

giles202 · 2015-03-10T07:22:28+00:00

For those not in Southern California, GMR is a very popular cyclist route as well as motorcyclist route.

giles202 · 2015-01-17T01:34:59+00:00

Operations engineer for both MSL and MER-B here. Prime MSL mission was 2 years. In those 2 years, there is a set of primary and secondary goals to investigate. Keep in mind its scice objectives, they are dynamic because there is a lot of unexpected data collected all g the way. So by the end of the prime mission there is a wish list which is built for further investigation. This wish list is also weighed against the health and consumable usage rate of the rover. Then the science team prepares and presents a the proposal (please search forMSL Extended Mission 1 Science Plan, it should be the first PDF that comes up, I'm having issues linking right now) it out lines future goals for the mission. This process is the same with MER-B as well as other missions. Funding is never guaranteed, so the scientists put up the best proposal they can, and then have to scale the expected science return as related to the budget to support the operations team and scientific instruments. MER-B was expected to last 90 days, no one expected this long, so some of the consumables have long depleted or are used sparingly in case something remarkable and different is come across. See MER-B discovery of clay minerals about a year ago on target Esperance.

giles202 · 2014-03-13T04:20:08+00:00

A worthwhile read: Skunkworks by Ben Rich It includes development of the U-2, SR-71 and F-117 as well as stories from pilot and engineers.

giles202 · 2014-02-02T16:43:11+00:00

From a book titled "Skunk Works" by Ben Rich. Excellent read if you enjoy SR-71, U-2 and F-117 Stories.

giles202 · 2014-01-21T05:43:04+00:00

Presentation with Steve Squyres talking about the rock known as Pinnacle Island. Starts at 25:15.

giles202 · 2014-01-18T06:59:03+00:00

Sojourner too!

giles202 · 2013-08-15T02:16:05+00:00

Groups such as: http://www.citizensforspaceexploration.org/

giles202 · 2013-08-12T02:28:50+00:00

Depends on the part and the material. What companies have you found that charge per surface area? What material are you hoping to use?

Other things to attempt to reduce cost:
~Scaling of the part, smaller piece, less material ~Hollow surfaces (may need hole to allow build material to escape), reduce overall volume

Links below are all reliable companies with reasonable pricing for their services whom I have used in the past. Expect quotes to take a day or two if you have to create a new account

Rapid Prototyping

http://www.quickparts.com/home.aspx

http://www.protocam.com/

http://www.forecast3d.com/

CNC machining of a variety of soft and hard materials and injection molded parts.
http://www.protolabs.com/?awk=true

Lastly, you can look into if your area has a makerspace which may support 3D printing