Tag: Mars Perseverance Rover functionality

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1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica Design and Building Diary

Verify the Assembly of the Robotic and Turret Parts of the 1:2 Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica – 3D Printed Prototype

While our design team is finalizing the design details of the 1:2 Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica, our building team has been verifying the designs using SLA 3D printing technology since 3 months ago.

We started the verification process from the robotic arm and the turret of the 1:2 Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica. They are parts of the most complicated structures, the Sample Caching System (SCS), in the 1:2 Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica.

The robotic arm (RA) of our 1:2 Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica has a total of 5 joints and each joint has one electronic motor inside which allows the robotic arm to make movements exactly the same as that of the real Perseverance Mars Rover on the Red planet.

The SHERLOC (and WATSON) in our 1:2 Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica has no scientific function but it is attached to the instrument turret via six vibration isolators arranged in three pairs which is the same way as that of the real Perseverance Mars Rover.

The PIXL in our 1:2 Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica has no scientific function but it is attached to the instrument turret via six actuated struts (Electric actuator) arranged in three pairs which is the same way as that of the real Perseverance Mars Rover.

The Drill in our 1:2 Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica can use exchangeable bits to drill on rock and collect ‘samples’ into the tube inside each bit. This assembly and its assistant structure are extremely complicated. We will need to do a lot of tests and changes of design to push the techniques to an affordable and available limit so as to make this part work as similar to that of the real Perseverance Mars Rover as possible.

The following photo shows the 3D-printed parts of the robotic arm and turret. Some parts are assembled and then dissembled so as to help the design team to optimize the design. The new design will be 3D-printed and assembled with the ‘correct’ parts. Although we have done simulations in the design software, sometimes, a large part of the design is still proven totally wrong after we assemble parts in the physical world and therefore we have to roll back to the beginning and redesign everything. This kind of iteration happened a lot in the process of building our 1:2 Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica, let alone that of the real Perseverance Rover now on Mars.

SLA printed robotic arm and turret of our 1:2 Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica
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1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica Design and Building Diary

The MMRTG of the 1:2 Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica

In the rear of the Perseverance Mars Rover, as its predecessor the Curiosity Mars Rover, there is a very eye-catching big ‘package’ slanted. This part called a “Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator” (MMRTG), powers the Perseverance Mars Rover by converting heat from the natural radioactive decay of Plutonium into electricity. The MMRTG also charges two lithium-ion rechargeable batteries to meet peak demands of the Perseverance Mars Rover’s activities when the demand temporarily exceeds the MMRTG’s steady electrical output levels. Furthermore, MMRTG also provides heat to keep the scientific instruments in the Perseverance Mars Rover’s body at their correct working temperature.

The MMRTG of our 1:2 Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica has the exact visual presentation of the real Perseverance Mars Rover on the Red Planet. But please rest assured that there is any radioisotope inside the MMRTG of our 1:2 Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica. Our 1:2 Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica is powered by a set of rechargeable batteries.

The MMRTG of our 1:2 Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica front view
The MMRTG of our 1:2 Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica back view
The MMRTG of our 1:2 Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica top view
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1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica Design and Building Diary

The Robotic Arm of the 1:2 Mars Rover 2020 Perseverance Replica’s Design is completed

The robotic arm and the turret at its front end is one of the most complicated components in the Mars Rover 2020 Perseverance.

It requires five motors to realize its five degrees of freedom.

In the real Perseverance Rover, the turret is like a hand that carries cameras, analyzers for on-site studying and sample catching. The scientific tools mounted on the turret are SHERLOC and WATSON and PIXL.

In our 1:2 Mars Rover 2020 Perseverance Replica, all the parts are rebuilt in a ultra-detailed way.

The following 7 screenshots are from the 3D model we are building. The next step is to use advanced techniques to build them in the physical world. Stay tuned!

Mars Rover 2020 Perseverance Replica Robotic Arm Turret Drill 1
Mars Rover 2020 Perseverance Replica Robotic Arm Turret Drill 1
Mars Rover 2020 Perseverance Replica Robotic Arm Turret Drill 2
Mars Rover 2020 Perseverance Replica Robotic Arm Turret Drill 2
Mars Rover 2020 Perseverance Replica Robotic Arm Turret Drill 3
Mars Rover 2020 Perseverance Replica Robotic Arm Turret Drill 3
Mars Rover 2020 Perseverance Replica Robotic Arm Turret Drill 4
Mars Rover 2020 Perseverance Replica Robotic Arm Turret Drill 4
Mars Rover 2020 Perseverance Replica Robotic Arm Turret Drill 5
Mars Rover 2020 Perseverance Replica Robotic Arm Turret Drill 5
Mars Rover 2020 Perseverance Replica Robotic Arm Turret Drill 6
Mars Rover 2020 Perseverance Replica Robotic Arm Turret Drill 6
Mars Rover 2020 Perseverance Replica Robotic Arm Turret Drill 7
Mars Rover 2020 Perseverance Replica Robotic Arm Turret Drill 7
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EDL Sensor System of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Structure Components Functions

EDL Sensor System of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover – part 2

Other than the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s EDL microphone, there are also cameras in the EDL sensor system.

There is a camera that is located on top of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover, so it can look up at the descent stage and take photos of it. This camera is called the rover “up look” camera. When the sky crane maneuver and the descent stage separates, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s rover “up look” camera can take photos of the process so that people on Earth can see if everything is ok. Our 1:2 Pseverance Rover Replica will perfectly replicate the appearance structure of the rover “up look” camera.

There is another camera that is located under the rover, called the rover “down look” camera. Its job is to capture what it sees underneath the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover so that people on Earth will know if the rover lands successfully. Our 1:2 Pseverance Rover Replica will perfectly replicate the appearance structure of the rover “down look” camera.

The Lander Vision Camera (LCAM) is a part of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s Lander Vision System. Because the LCAM is located outside of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s body, it needs to be small and light (less than 1 kg, or 2.2 lbs), but luckily, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s LCAM is only intended to be used only during the EDL process, so it doesn’t need to endure the environmental condition of Mars. The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s LCAM is in fact a new feature added on top of the old Lander Vision System which is inherited from the previous mission. High up in the air and with fast-dropping speed, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s LCAM needs to take photos at low exposure time, and it needs to take photos quickly and feed the images quickly to the Vision Complute Element with low latency in order for a fast process. The images will be processed within 10 seconds. The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s LCAM is not expected to survive on Mars, so after the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover lands, the LCAM’s mission is over. Other cameras will take over the photo-taking jobs.

For our 1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica, it will perfectly replicate the appearance structure of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s LCAM, and we might even put a real camera in it so that you can see what it sees from a screen.

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EDL Sensor System of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Structure Components Functions

EDL Sensor System of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover – part 1

EDL is short for Entry, Descent, and Landing for the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover mission. In order for people on Earth to learn if the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover lands successfully, or what kind of obstacles that the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover encounters while landing, the EDL microphone, the Lander Vision System Camera, the rover lookup camera, the rover lookdown camera and the Descent-stage “down look” camera were put on the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s body. Our 1:2 Peseverance Mars Rover Replica will perfectly replicate the microphone and cameras, and we might even build some of them with real cameras and microphones if possible.

In the past, there are several attempts to send microphones to Mars for sound recording purposes, but none succeeded. In this mission, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover is carrying a microphone on the side of the rover’s body in order to record the sound of the EDL process. The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s EDL microphone is rather simple – as a matter of fact, it is an average microphone that anyone can purchase in any electronic store, only with a little bit of modification by the engineers. But the downside is that it might not survive the impact when the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover lands. Since this is a simple microphone, our Perseverance Mars Rover Replica might use the same type of microphone – of course, we will match the microphone’s appearance definitely – so it will be a real microphone to record actual sounds.

When the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover is descending, the EDL microphone will record the sound of the air friction, the sound of dust hitting the rover body, the sound of the Martian wind, etc. – just like the sound that we hear before an airplane lands on the airport. If the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s EDL microphone luckily survives the impact, it will be able to record the sound of motors, wheels crushing the Martian sand, the sound of the other structure’s deployment process – just like what we hear in a car when the car is driving or opening the doors. For our 1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica, the EDL microphone will continuously work as long as it is not broken purposely.

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Communication System of Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Structure Components Functions

Antenna of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover- part 2

For the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s X-band High-Gain Antenna, different from the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s Ultra-High Frequency antenna, it communicates directly with Earth. The shape of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s X-band High-Gain Antenna is hexagonal. The diameter of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s X-band High-Gain Antenna is around 30 cm (11.81 inches), and the total weight is around 8 kg (17.64 lbs). For our 1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica, the shape of the X-band High-Gain Antenna is also hexagonal, but the diameter will be around 15 cm (5.9 inches).

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s X-band High-Gain Antenna consists of 2 components: the high gain antenna subassembly and the Gimbal mechanism subassembly. The purpose of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s X-band High-Gain Antenna is to send information of the rover’s health condition and the data recorded by the scientific instruments to Earth. Also, Earth can send instructions of daily missions for the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover. The Gimbal mechanism allows the antenna to be steerable which saves energy compared with having to rotate its whole body for the antenna to point at Earth. Our Mars Rover replica will perfectly replicate the Gimbal mechanism so it will work exactly the same as the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s X-band Low Gain antenna’s primary purpose is to receive data from Earth’s Deep Space Network antennas. The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s X-band Low Gain antenna’s feature is that it can send and receive data 360°, so it does not need to point in a certain direction to receive data, nor does it need the Gimble mechanism to work more efficiently. This advantage allows the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover to communicate with Earth at all times. Our Perseverance Mars Rover Replica will perfectly replicate the structure appearance of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s X-band Low Gain antenna, but our Mars Rover Replica will not have the actual function like the real Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s X-band Low Gain antenna.

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Communication System of Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Structure Components Functions

Antenna of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover – part 1

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover communicates with Earth via a set of antennas. The antennas are Ultra-High Frequency Antenna, X-band High-Gain Antenna, X-band Low-Gain Antenna, which are all located on the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s top deck. Our 1:2 Peseverance Mars Rover Replica will perfectly replicate the appearance structure of the 3 types of antennas, but they won’ have the actual functions like the real Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s antennas.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s Ultra-High Frequency antenna is located at the back of the rover, really close to the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s power system, MMRTG. Even though the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s Ultra-High Frequency Antenna can communicate directly with Earth, the long-distance could make the process take much longer (around 5 to 20 mins as Mars rotates) and more power. Therefore, in most cases, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s Ultra-High Frequency antenna does not transmit data to Earth directly, but instead, the data transmission is via the Mars Orbiter antennas, and then the Mars Orbiter antenna will relay information with Earth’s Deep Space Network antennas.

Another advantage to utilizing the Mars Orbiter antenna is that due to the short-distance transmission, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s Ultra-High Frequency antenna’s frequency rate can go as high as 2 MB/s. For our Perseverance Mars Rover Replica, it won’t need to transmit massive data between remote and the Mars Rover Replica’s receiving modules, but to be closer to the real Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover, we can arrange the receiving module in the structure of the Perseverance Rover Replica‘s Ultra-High Frequency antenna.

If you are interested in our 1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica, you can check out [1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica Design and Building Diary].

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Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Structure Components Functions Power System of Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover

MMRTG of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover – part 2

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s MMRTG is essentially a nuclear power source. The radioisotope material is plutonium-238. The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MMRTG can convert heat from the natural decay of plutonium-238 to electricity, and the power produced is 110 W at the beginning of the mission. Then each year the power will drop a few percent. But since the plutonium-238 is only enough for one and a half Mars year (or three Earth years), the drop will not make a big impact on the mission. 

For our 1:2 Peserverance Mars Rover Replica, you can use rechargeable batteries or plug them into the wall. It won’t be nuclear power. With batteries, the Perseverance Mars Rover Replica can operate for around 2 hours.

Unlike on Earth, you will not get a steady sunlight accumulation on Mars, and the daily and seasonal temperature fluctuation is too abrupt. Therefore, it will be unwise and unpractical to use solar panels for the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover, at least not at the moment. This makes the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MMRTG perfect for the space mission.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MMRTG is very small but it can produce significantly more energy compared with other forms of available power supplies. Although nuclear power might sound dangerous, protections are made to ensure safety. First of all, the plutonium-238 is not weapon-grade. Second of all, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MMRTG technology has already been used in numerous space missions, such as the Curiosity rover mission, the Apollo mission, the Viking mission, and many more for over 50 years. Therefore, it has been proved as a reliable power source for space missions. Lastly, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MMRTG is designed to have many layers of protective materials, so that under various extreme conditions, the plutonium-238 inside will still be contained and safe.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MMRTG is able to generate electricity continuously no matter the condition. The sufficient amount of energy that the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MMRTG produces also makes it convenient for scientists to work with Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover no matter day or night.

Our 1:2 Peserverance Mars Rover Replica will perfectly replicate the structure appearance of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MMRTG. If you are interested in our Peserverance Mars Rover Replica, you can check out [1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica Design and Building Diary].

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Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Structure Components Functions Power System of Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover

MMRTG of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover – part 1

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) is the power supply for the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover, which is located at the end of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover.

The weight of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MMRTG is around 99 lbs or 45 kg. The diameter of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MMRTG is around 25 inches or 64 cm, and the length is around 26 inches or 66 cm. For our 1:2 Perserance Mars Rover Replica, the diameter will be around 12.5 inches or 32 cm, and the length will be around 13 inches or 33cm.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MMRTG has mainly three jobs:

  1. Provide electricity to the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover while operating during day and night. It is expected to generate 110 W in the beginning, and it will reduce only a few percent each year. Although the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MMRTG is designed to work over 10 years, with limited nuclear material, it will only actually going to run for one and a half Mars year, which is an equivalent of three Earth years. Therefore, the few percent reductions in power level are not a big deal.
  2. Charges 2 rechargeable lithium batteries. These 2 batteries are used when the demand power is larger than the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MMRTG can supply at the time. As a matter of fact, sometimes the demand power can go up to 900 W, but the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MMRTG can only make 110 W, so that’s when the 2 rechargeable lithium batteries come in to ensure the mission can continue.
  3. Warm up the instruments on the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover. Mars, compared with Earth, is a cold planet. In order for the science instruments to operate, heat is needed to keep them at a workable temperature.

For our 1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica, the operating power will not be 110 W because the science instruments on the rover are only decorations. Although the Perseverance Mars Rover Replica can simulate some of the real Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s movements, the power required will be significantly small. 

If you are interested in our 1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica, you can check out [1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica Design and Building Diary].