In pursuit of a better understanding of our neighboring planets, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is awarding organizations and institutions funding to design concepts for spacecraft for future endeavors in outer space through the Innovative Advanced Concepts. One of the awardees of this program is the Crashworthiness for Aerospace Structures and Hybrid (CRASH) Laboratories at the University of Buffalo in New York.
STINGRAY IN SPACE
CRASH labs designed a spacecraft that will specifically do a probe on Venus. They called the probe Bio-inspired Ray for Extreme Environment and Zonal Explorations or BREEZE. One of its features include a stingray-inspired "wings" that can flap when encountering the high winds of Venus' atmosphere.
BREEZE is designed to go around Venus every four to six days and recharges itself through solar panels every two to three days while spending its time on the side where the Sun illuminates the planet. Since each day on Venus is longer than that on Earth, most spacecraft are not well equipped in dealing with the planet's atmosphere. According to their press release, the stingray-inspired morphing wings in BREEZE results from an internal tensioning system that provides the ability to thrust and control and to provide stability and additional lift. It also helps acquire the mechanical compression required for active buoyancy control.
In the statement, Javid Bayandor, Ph.D. Associate Professor of mechanical and aerospace director and founder of CRASH labs, explained: "By taking our cues from nature, specifically sea rays, we're looking to maximize flight efficiency. The design will allow an unattained degree of control for such a spacecraft that would be subject to severe zonal and meridional winds on the planet." He also noted that the versatility of BREEZE's wings will enable the spacecraft to gather data from the infamous dark side of the planet.
The dark side of Venus has been some puzzle for generations of astronomers and astrophysicists because of its sustained periods of darkness. For instance, the rotation of the planet is longer than the revolution, which makes a day on Venus equate to more than a year on Earth. Bayandor added that the stingray design is crucial to the success of the spacecraft. It will protect it from the harsh conditions on Venus, including surface temperatures that are hot and the thick sulfuric clouds in its atmosphere. If ever BREEZE will be successful on its quest to Venus, it can be used to probe other parts of the solar system like Titan, Saturn's largest moon.
THE NIAC PROGRAM
CRASH Labs are one of the 12 awardees of the NIAC program, and this is the second time they have been awarded. The first time was in 2016 when they designed a deployable heat shield and robotic tensegrity module for high-risk landings of spacecraft and subsequent exportation in extreme environments.