Post edited 9:28 pm – November 22, 2009 by Rocket-To-The-Moon



Thanks, it was a nice way to spend my Sunday afternoon.

I've been going through videos and information on some of the Lander Challenge vehicles to get an idea of what we are working with. With so many teams building these vehicles it shows that it is definitely possible to do on a small budget.

The issue of the ladder is definitely something that I have thought about. I assume that we will have simple handrails (maybe just tensioned cables to save weight) that run along the propellant tanks. To be honest, it is difficult to work with spherical and cylindrical shapes in SketchUp so I didn't bother.

The size of the fuel tanks is essentially based on the biggest tanks that I could fit in the space provided. If they get any larger you have to move them out from the vehicle center line. This isn't necessarily bad though, because as it is the buffer springs extend well past the edge of the vehicle. My solution to this problem may be to attach the buffer springs to the legs themselves and then allow them to swing with the leg until it contacts the leg rotator main frame.

I'll measure the outside diameter of the tanks tomorrow and calculate how much they can hold. I'm not sure what ratio the hypergolic fuel that we will be using is mixed in. If it is 1:1 then we are golden, but if it is something like 3.6:1 then the tanks will have to be re sized and rearranged. The Texel lander looks like its tanks are all the same size so that gives me a good feeling.

Not a finished product, but I hope that it can be used to help draw attention to the project.