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//Build 2016 Skype Reaction: This is a tool for innovators

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With the announcement that SpaceX Red Dragon package is going to Mars in 2018, time to innovate and get your project on board. How do you do that, I have no idea, but I do know if you wait till you find out if you can get on board, it will be too late. The 2018 Holman Transfer Orbit has a very small window, March 2018 to June 2018. You will need to get your package ready for system integration at Space X by Feb. 2018 at the latest, and likely even earlier.

Skype is going to be your tool of innovation, linked to MS Project or using Smart Sheets.

Why is Skype for Business a tool for innovators? I discuss this in my //Build Reaction Video:

Here is a back story for the Mars Airplane:

Let's say you want to compete in an online hackathon to build an aircraft to fly in the atmosphere of Mars. With the announcement that SpaceX will fly the "Red Dragon" to Mars when they test their heavy launch system, this means that you could be first person to do controlled flight on Mars. Not re-entry flight like the Rovers, etc. but controlled flight using a digital control system. The aircraft might be a quad copter or a fixed wing aircraft. Copters have never flown at the atmospheric pressure on Mars, fixed wing aircraft have flown at Martian atmospheric pressures.

Using Skype you can generate tools that allow to work with your online hackathon buddies. This means your team can be more diverse than a team made up at a physical hackathon. You will need software types, but you need packaging for items that will be in vacuum, a mechanical and aerospace engineer. Would be a good idea to have a scientist or one of the team to be a designated scientist or science officer.

What does the designated scientist do?
1. Determination of the science package
2. Attempt to use engineering sensors where possible
3. Ensuring that the scientific instrumentation will be calibrated (metrology)
4. Makes any decisions that are required during atmospheric flight or design decision making systems for opportunistic science observations during flight.
5. Any tasks that do not fall under engineering or carrier extraction from Red Dragon or Vehicle Flight or described here
6. Update Project tools
7. Generate appropriate tests for vehicle

Software workers work consist of engineering team members who can code, but there should be a designated software person who makes the final decision from team inputs. Software workers are responsible for:
1. Software architecture both on atmospheric flight article, carrier software interfaces, Cloud processing
2. Mars Data Center utilization and mission related processing
3. Quality control
4. Version control
5. Closeout software phase Passover to flight team
6. Update Project tools
7. Generate appropriate tests for vehicle

Electrical Engineering
1. Power
2. Power conditioning
3. Hardware Architecture
4. Hardware interface with Red Dragon systems
5. Hardware interfaces with device carrier for break and make connections during loading to spacecraft and removal on Mars (only for initial landing)
6. Issue post flight reports
7. Update Project tools
8. Generate appropriate tests for vehicle

Mechanical Engineering
1. Device Carrier
2. Material selection for atmospheric space craft
3. Work with Aerospace engineer on Mars Atmospheric Vehicle design
4. Device fold up
5. Device Deployment
6. Monitor structure during flight
7. Issue post flight reports
8. Update Project tools
9. Generate appropriate tests for vehicle

Aerospace engineering
1. Design or select Mars Atmospheric Vehicle design
2. Develop device carrier design
3. Work with SpaceX and relay information to team
4. Document overall project
5. Act as Project manager using the appropriate online tools

Comments

  • Anonymous
    May 03, 2016
    I definitely want to get into this. I am both electrical and software engineer.