# Presentation: 848518

## AUTONOMOUS ASSEMBLY of MODULAR SPACE STRUCTURES (AAMSS)

- Lisa Geschwill
- NASA Academy Research Associate
- Mechanical Engineer
- PI:  Dean Alhorn
- 8/12/05

## Overview

- What is AAMSS?
- Objectives
- Benefits
- Electrical Components
- My Contribution
- Mechanism
- What is Left?
- Conclusion
- Questions

## What is AAMSS?

- Conceptual Application

## AAMSS Project Objectives

- Develop a hardware unit for demonstration.
- Structurally test the demonstration hardware to prove its capabilities.
- Demonstrate the developed technology in a relative environment.
- Use the results to transform the base concept into a fully developed architecture for providing autonomous assembly capabilities.

## Benefits

- Uses less human interaction
- Decreases the need for EVAs
- Increases the safety for humans in space
- Successfully build a cost efficient structure
- Reduces the number of launches
- Able to remove and replace damaged components
- Allows for a variety of structures to be built
- Sensor technology provides post assembly embedded integrity monitoring and joint positioning

## Sensor Technology

- “Single Coil Absolute Position Sensor” (SCAPS)
- Low-cost
- Provides micrometer accurate measurements
- Highly linear and repeatable
- When combined with another linear sensor, 2 and 3 dimensions can be measured with a single unit
- Non-contact makes sensor technology highly reliable

- Sensor Size Comparison

- Sensor Internal Components

## Electrical Components

- Active Side
- Photo Receptors and Motion Sensors
- Relative position, orientation, and node identification
- Passive Side
- LEDs and Inductors

- Motion Sensor

- Photo Receptor

- Inductor

- LED

- Active

- Passive

## Video

## My Contribution

- Aid in the design and fabrication of the first mechanism
- Conceptualization
- Design
- Development
- Manufacturing
- Testing
- Researched the components
- Created models of the design
- Fabricated the mechanism prototype

## The Mechanism

- Motor

- Screw

- Extender

- “T”

## The Extender 

- Extruded out of the active side and inserted into the passive side
- Once inside the passive side it rotates 90 degrees for capture
- Electrical contacts are housed in the tips of the “T”, allowing power and data to be transferred upon capture

- Electrical Contacts

## Sequence of Operations

- 4)  Captures the passive side and attaches the two components together

- 2)  Extends into the passive side

- 3)  Rotates 90 degrees  for capture

- 1)  The extender and “T” rotate 90 degrees to   allow for extension

## Video

## Prototype

- Electronic Control Box

- Mechanism

## Prototype

- Screw

- Motor

- Extender

- “T”

## Completion of the Design

- Rotation of the extender
- Second motor
- Defining final dimensions of all mechanical components
- Define type and amount of electrical components that will be used

## What is Left? 

- Manufacture a complete prototype
- Test full assembly
- Structurally test the mechanism
- Ensure that the LED identification and the sensor orientation is precise
- Demonstration
- Flight Robotics Laboratory
- Develop future program specifications based upon results

## Conclusion

- This project allowed me to take part in the complete design process
- Conceptual design in collaboration with other NASA design engineers
- Finalize a design and complete computerized modeling
- Manufacture a prototype
- Gained an understanding of how electronic components interface and how they are integrated into a project
- Position Sensors
- Motors
- Control Electronics

## Acknowledgements

- Dean Alhorn
- Principal Investigator
- Jason Waggoner
- Jared Dervan
- Ken House
- David Howard
- Dennis Smith

## Questions?