Mechanisms

What is the mechanism subsystem?

A mechanism is the part of a subsystem that changes one type of force into another, one type of energy into another, one type of motion into another, or one type of action into another. Such as the drill on our lander or the landing gear used in our mission.

Absorption spectroscopy

Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) is based upon the principle that free atoms in the ground state can absorb light of a certain wavelength. Absorption for each element is specific, no other elements absorb this wavelength.Absorption spectroscopy is employed as an analytical chemistry tool to determine the presence of a particular substance in a sample and, in many cases, to quantify the amount of the substance present.

Emission spectroscopy

Emission spectroscopy is an electric discharge established between a pair of electrodes, one of which is made of the material being analyzed. The electric discharge vaporizes a portion of the sample and excites the elements in the sample to emit characteristic spectra.

Scattering spectroscopy

scattering spectroscopy is a technique used to observe the vibrational states of a molecule. It makes it possible to characterize the molecular composition of a sample by identifying the chemical groups that constitute it.

Telescopic Arm Design

The telescopic arm will be powered with an internal levy system. As the drill at the end of the arm travels further into the crust of Enceladus, the levy mechanism will control how far the arm extends with the help of remote sensors on the arm. The arm will have multiple segments, and will start out at 5 meters in length, once the arm is fully extended it will be able to reach depths of around 25 meters.

Why are mechanisms important?

What do you imagine when I say mechanisms? Do you see moving intricate parts, or how about computer screens? Mechanisms are a massive part of our everyday lives, our team's mission is dependent on mechanisms working properly. Mechanisms are connected through many different subsystems like guidance, propulsion, avionics, communication, landing and data handling. Within the guidance subsystem, mechanisms control The gyroscopes, accelerometers, and computers calculating all the info needed for the guidance system. The nozzles in the propulsion system have to be precise and stable for launch, mechanisms are in place to move those nozzles accordingly. The engine itself has a lot of moving parts to it just to produce thrust to push our rocket forward. The fins on a rocket would need to be aligned by mechanics for the trajectory to be precise. The propulsion system has to detach from the payload safely and effectively by using mechanisms like fixed joints and couplings or a pyrotechnic fastener. As avionics play a big part in the mission from fastening down data handling equipment to sensors used. All the cables that run through the orbital satellite and lander will have to be stabilized and maintained during launch and use. The communication subsystem relays all the information, and all the antennas, transmitters and receivers will be held together using fixed joints or couplings to the chassis of the vehicles. All the landing gear is considered structural support on the Enceladus lander, we will be using a system of parachutes and protective equipment to land on the surface.

Trade Study

With the trade study for mechanisms we compared is the instrumentation used for analyzing the enceladus ice sample. the team struggled with what to compare for mechanisms but the process that we thought was a best fit is Spectroscopy, a family of chemical analysis techniques involving electromagnetic radiation. We compared three different versions of spectroscopy including,Absorption, Emission, and Scattering spectroscopy. The team went with emission because it seemed to have the most versatility with the easiest to use in a controlled environment. It was difficult to pick because all instrumentation analyzes the data but in different ways.

Subsystem diagram

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