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Cratering the
Moon ChallengePreliminary Design by:
Nishant
SP
Grade-11
MES School
INDIA
Centrapetal
Projectile Accelarator
The
surface of the moon is covered
by the hard regolith. To
penetrate this hard layer, it is necessary to beam the projectile with high
velocities to the surface of
the moon.
Keeping
the above requirement in mind, the centripetal projectile accelerator has
been designed.
The centripetal projectile accelerator is a circular structure which consists
of an extensible string and the projectile attached to its end. The other end
of the string has been connected to the electric motor. An outlet has been made
tangentially to the outer structure to release the projectile.
The
above illustration represents the working of the centripetal projectile accelerator.
Internal
representation of the centripetal projectile accelerator.
Working:
At first, the extensible elastic string containing the projectile
is attached to the motor. When the electric current is made
to flow through the circuit, the motor begins to rotate. The
string unwinds and starts to revolve under the influence of
the centripetal force given by F=MV^2/R
and an acceleration of V^2/R where
M is the mass of the projectile, V is its velocity and R is the length of the
string. The increase in the power of the motor would increase the acceleration
further, till the string containing the projectile touches the internal surface
of the accelerator. When the projectile reaches the desirable velocity, and the
centripetal projectile accelerator aligns with the launch angle, it is detached
from the string released through the tube. The projectile travels in straight
line through the tangential component of the centripetal projectile accelerator
as shown in the above image.
Expert response from Jennifer Heldmann:
Good preliminary design. For
the next round of designs, how will you measure the exact angle of impact? Also
how will you measure the amount of excavated ejecta? Always remember "safety
first" and use caution when using an electric motor.
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