By
Rob Adlard
Milton Keynes
The OU Planetary Robotics Student team are aiming to gain experience with real life projects relating to the space sector. Our projects in robotics and rockets provide experience for us in electronics, engineering design and materials, scientific goals, coding and project management. Your help is essential for us to be able to complete our projects, and to be able to travel to the prestigious international competitions representing the Open University.
Challenge 1
The team is working on a Mars rover project creating an analogue rover with an in-situ science lab, robotic arm and autonomous navigation. We are now working hard to be accepted to the very competitive University Rover Challenge held in Utah. Last year the team was just 4 points away from the threshold for acceptance, and now with a bigger team, we are determined to succeed and we need your help.
Challenge 2
Our activities with rockets has led to us being accepted to compete in the prestigious collegiate rocket competition, The Spaceport America Cup. Representing the Open University, we will fly our OU-made rocket with an experiment carrying out real science that will provide real data for OU research students.
Will you help support us in building our Mars Rover and Rocket to achieve our dream of travelling to America and competing against the world's most prestigious universities?
Both these projects sees our OU team pitted against big universities elsewhere in the world such as MIT, Harvard, and other places with great science and engineering activity. The OU senior research teams are involved in European Space Agency missions, including the Exo-Mars rover which will be the first European rover on Mars. The OU also has a great Space Science MSc degree programme which includes an award-winning module where students perform a Mars rover mission in the OU's unique Mars yard with the OU's rover (not ours). We, as Open University students hope to be ambassadors for all these incredible things; we're proud of the OU's connection to the world of space exploration, and unique opportunities for students.
We're a team of 52 students, primarily undergraduate students, with some postgraduate students.. We have an academic adviser, but everything is our own work. You can see our short film on our project here which formed part of our entry to last year's competition.
The payload in our rocket will be an experiment that relates to the field of research into the formation of planetary bodies. Icy particles will be observed in the moments of microgravity with a specially developed camera donated by our sponsors, Dynamic Imaging Analytics, a Milton Keynes based company making imaging devices for use in space. (Below is an early test launch)
Rockets are for still the most exciting expression of classical physics, Newton’s 3rd law made manifest for everyone to see (yes ok, 2nd too!). Although rockets aren’t new technology anymore, they are becoming more important than ever. From tackling climate change, to creating driverless cars; in the coming years far more rocket launches need to take place than ever before. Behind every significant piece of data is a rocket launch that delivered a satellite, imaging device or experiment into space.
Crucially for the UK and it’s future in the world, rockets are about to become something very important indeed. The UK government has mandated the UK Space Agency enable space launch from the UK by 2020/21. Satellites and science for the first time ever will be delivered into space from a UK soil. The UK needs to ‘tool up’ for this amazing opportunity, with more students gaining experience in rocket technology, and to be evangelical about the opportunities that data from space can have for UK business, for the general benefit to humanity, our knowledge of the universe and our place within it.
The OU rocket project could develop significantly. The rocket could be used to test the capability for flights in the UK, testing regulations and operations from UK spaceport locations. The rocket could be a tool for other OU research students to fly experiments, to test technology in advance of space missions.
It's certain that as space missions develop, to Mars and the Moon, rovers are going to be an integral aspect; a tools for astronauts, and as a precursor to manned missions. Rovers are still the only way currently to carry out scientific missions on Mars, and as big plans for Mars and the Moon develop, rovers will be required to take part in in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU), paving the way for humans.
The challenge takes place at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS); a site of great interest to geologists, and a great Earth-analogue for Mars. MDRS is used year round by scientists and students to carry out research, and it would be an incredible experience to get to take our rover there pitting it against those of other universities from around the world.
The team needs to build the rocket from scratch, develop the experiment, and make the payload housing and components, but some items are bought from commercial providers.
Hitting our minimum target of £6,000 means that we can finish building the rocket and the rover, and carry out our test programme. Beyond that, we need to raise more funds in order to ensure that we can ship the rocket to the competition and take the team out to New Mexico and Utah. With more funds we make duplicate items to ensure that we have spares in the case of failures and accidents, to do further testing to ensure greater levels of success, and to leave a legacy to future students with assets that are not completely depleted. We will of course travel and find accommodation in the most effective way possible, staying in a shared house for the duration of the competition.
An example of some of our costs:
Further to that:
The Rover requires more mechanical work, electronics, and there is the cost of shipping the rover to the Utah desert, and getting the team there too.
We'd like to offer some great experiences as rewards for people supporting us, you can arrange to see us and the rocket at a test launch, but also take part in the OU 50 rewards; fund one of 50 special particles to be used in the experiment in that are branded in OU colours to celebrate 50 years of the Open University.
http://www.ou-planetaryrobotics.com
Facebook: @OUrocket and @OUplanetaryrobotics
https://www.facebook.com/OUrocket/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OUroverteam
We would be so incredibly grateful if you can support our project with a donation. But, you don't just have to give money to help us succeed! Please share this project with anyone you think would support us – on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, by email, telephone, in a chat over the fence or on your blog.
In fact, share it with everyone you know as we think it's a great idea, and the more people who know about it, the more likely we are to make this work out brilliantly.
And we know we said you don't need to give money to help us, but we'd love it if you did! Please sponsor us and help make this happen.
Select this reward if you just want to donate to the project without receiving a reward.
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Receive our thanks, and updates during the course of the project
11 claimed
Estimated delivery: 1 June 2019
A personal update and photos from the team as they build and test the rover, rocket and payload
5 claimed
Estimated delivery: 1 June 2019
'Get Your Ass To Mars' T-shirt Colour - GREY Size - SMALL Just a few of these tongue-in-cheek T-shirts, a craze started by Mars enthusiast and Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin, and referencing the quote from cult Mars film: Total Recall. See the T shirts here https://wordpress.com/post/ou-planetaryrobotics.com/99
1 claimed of 1
Estimated delivery: 1 May 2019
Mars Society T-shirt. The Mars Society created the Mars Desert Research Station marssociety.org Colour - RED Size - MEDIUM Just a few of these tongue-in-cheek T-shirts showing a great image of the planet Mars. See the T shirts here https://wordpress.com/post/ou-planetaryrobotics.com/99
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Estimated delivery: 1 May 2019
Mars Society T-shirt. The Mars Society created the Mars Desert Research Station marssociety.org Colour - RED Size - LARGE Just a few of these tongue-in-cheek T-shirts showing a great image of the planet Mars. See the T shirts here https://wordpress.com/post/ou-planetaryrobotics.com/99
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Estimated delivery: 1 May 2019
Mars Society T-shirt. The Mars Society created the Mars Desert Research Station marssociety.org Colour - LIGHT BLUE Size - SMALL Just a few of these tongue-in-cheek T-shirts showing a great image of the planet Mars. See the T shirts here https://wordpress.com/post/ou-planetaryrobotics.com/99
1 claimed of 3
Estimated delivery: 1 May 2019
Mars Society T-shirt. The Mars Society created the Mars Desert Research Station marssociety.org Colour - LIGHT BLUE Size - MEDIUM Just a few of these tongue-in-cheek T-shirts showing a great image of the planet Mars. See the T shirts here https://wordpress.com/post/ou-planetaryrobotics.com/99
2 claimed of 2
Estimated delivery: 1 May 2019
Mars Society T-shirt. The Mars Society created the Mars Desert Research Station marssociety.org Colour - LIGHT BLUE Size - LARGE Just a few of these tongue-in-cheek T-shirts showing a great image of the planet Mars. See the T shirts here https://wordpress.com/post/ou-planetaryrobotics.com/99
1 claimed of 1
Estimated delivery: 1 May 2019
'Get Your Ass To Mars' T-shirt Colour - GREY Size - MEDIUM Just a few of these tongue-in-cheek T-shirts, a craze started by Mars enthusiast and Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin, and referencing the cult Mars film: Total Recall. See the T shirts here https://wordpress.com/post/ou-planetaryrobotics.com/99
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Estimated delivery: 1 April 2019
'Get Your Ass To Mars' T-shirt Colour - GREY Size - EXTRA LARGE Just a few of these tongue-in-cheek T-shirts, a craze started by Mars enthusiast and Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin, and referencing the cult Mars film: Total Recall. See the T shirts here https://wordpress.com/post/ou-planetaryrobotics.com/99
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'Get Your Ass To Mars' T-shirt Colour - BLUE Size - SMALL Just a few of these tongue-in-cheek T-shirts, a craze started by Mars enthusiast and Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin, and referencing the quote from cult Mars film: Total Recall. See the T shirts here https://wordpress.com/post/ou-planetaryrobotics.com/99
2 claimed of 2
Estimated delivery: 1 April 2019
'Get Your Ass To Mars' T-shirt Colour - BLUE Size - MEDIUM Just a few of these tongue-in-cheek T-shirts, a craze started by Mars enthusiast and Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin where he references the quote from cult Mars film: Total Recall. See the T shirts here https://wordpress.com/post/ou-planetaryrobotics.com/99
2 claimed of 6
Estimated delivery: 1 April 2019
'Get Your Ass To Mars' T-shirt Colour - BLUE Size - LARGE Just a few of these tongue-in-cheek T-shirts, a craze started by Mars enthusiast and Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin, and referencing cult Mars film: Total Recall. See the T shirts here https://wordpress.com/post/ou-planetaryrobotics.com/99
2 claimed of 2
Estimated delivery: 1 April 2019
'Get Your Ass To Mars' T-shirt Colour - GREY Size - LARGE Just a few of these tongue-in-cheek T-shirts, a craze started by Mars enthusiast and Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin, and referencing the quote from cult Mars film, Total Recall. See the T shirts here https://wordpress.com/post/ou-planetaryrobotics.com/99
1 claimed of 1
Estimated delivery: 1 April 2019
Mars Society T-shirt. The Mars Society created the Mars Desert Research Station marssociety.org Colour - RED Size - EXTRA LARGE Just a few of these tongue-in-cheek T-shirts showing a great image of the planet Mars. See the T shirts here https://wordpress.com/post/ou-planetaryrobotics.com/99
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Mars Society T-shirt. The Mars Society created the Mars Desert Research Station marssociety.org Colour - LIGHT BLUE Size - EXTRA LARGE Just a few of these tongue-in-cheek T-shirts showing a great image of the planet Mars. See the T shirts here https://wordpress.com/post/ou-planetaryrobotics.com/99
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To help celebrate OU50; 50 years of the Open University. 50 of the 3D printed particles in the experiment will be branded in the OU colour blue, and accelerated to over 7G to 600 mph as part of the payload. Sponsor an OU particle and receive updates and videos of the preparation and execution of the experiment.
1 claimed of 50
Estimated delivery: 1 July 2019
Send us a digital signature (or even just your name) and we'll have a decal printed of it and mounted onto the rocket which will fly in the competition. Each decal (i.e. your signature on the rocket) will be 2 X 10cm. Includes personalised updates on the project with images and news.
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Estimated delivery: 1 June 2019
Attend a test event with the team and the rocket. Launches are on Sundays at locations in Cambridgeshire or the Midlands. Once reward is sponsored, a list of dates will be given for you to select at date prior to June 2019.
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Estimated delivery: 1 June 2019
Meet the team at the OU campus in Milton Keynes, see the rocket and be guided through how the rocket works, and the function of the payload and the science behind the experiment (researching formation of planetary bodies) Includes a tour of OU space-instrumentation labs developing instruments for European Space Agency missions, including JUICE; exploring Jupiter's icy moons.
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Estimated delivery: 1 August 2019