THEIA

grabcad

Heliostat systemTHEIA: Greek Titan of LightTheia is a reflective system designed by UCF's Collegiate Space Foundation. Each component was modeled by an undergraduate student (the only design drawn from grabcad was the rover wheels). We are appreciative of the opportunity to participate in the novel design of a space subsystem. Top of TheiaTheia’s lid is dimensioned at (23.62 in x 14.17 in). On the lid, we have implemented a 2 degree of freedom motor (Rotation & Pitch) which can move the lunar reflector (360 degrees and provide a full range of motion), allowing Theia to work in varied environments with a large range of usability dependent on mission needs. She is designed to illuminate dark work areas and increase thermal gradients for electronicsTheia’s Lunar ReflectorsThe Lunar mirror is made up of 6 triangular plates, each with a circle at the end that brings them all together with a pin. Theia’s 6 plates have 2 sections as shown: Blue and the Green. The blue sections represent reflective area, and the green represent photovoltaics. When in a resting position, the 6 plates are stacked vertically and laid on top of the rover’s communication/electronics system. Upon operation, the mirrors are driven by a motor connected to one of the triangular plates. Each mirror has an extrusion at the end to drag along its adjacent mirror. The 6th triangular plate starts to rotate counterclockwise and hooks onto the 5th which hooks onto the 4th etc. During the transition to stowage, the 6th plate rotates clockwise, hooks onto it’s adjacent mirror, and continues rotating until the mirror arrays are fully retracted. Theia’s rover and storage unitThe designed rover has the following dimensions: 2m x 1m. In the front/center of the rover, we have created a storage unit to hold Theia, which is dimensioned at .7 m x .5 m. There is a small gap in the storage unit in which a potential battery pack could be stored if desired, which has dimensions of .5 m x .05 m x .3m. Next to the storage unit, we have placed a charging port in which Theia could be charged with a plug during a lunar night or when not being used for a lunar mission, to keep the rover operational. This charging port is representative of modern EV chargers. On the rover, there is ample space to place solar panels to charge the rover remotely if desired, as well as include any other desired components needed for specialized missions.We have implemented a small solar sensor next to the storage unit on the rover which identifies the sun’s location, assisting the rover to adjust the light onto the lunar surface and into dark craters. Theia’s solar sensorThe small solar sensor is dimensioned at 1.18 in x 1.18. It is attached to a smaller 2 degree of freedom motor that allows the sensor to track the sun efficiently, granting knowledge of the sun’s position relative to the lunar environment. There are multiple hollowed out sections (in the lift assembly and rover) to provide the volume for electronic power systems, communications, and computers. The whole system weighs a total of 535,098.5 grams.The system is designed to interface with any lunar rover and represent a small subsystem that is manipulable and structurally sound.