Background

In the current modern society, transportation is widely available and used by the majority. Technological advancements made possible for efficient land, water, air and space travel. Roads and highways were constructed for fast land travel, powerful engines were invented and developed to propel vehicles, reusable spacecrafts were introduced which changed the conditions for space travel. Needless to say, it is evident that the efficient transportation were a product of the accumulation and application of many innovation presented by engineers and scientist around the globe.

One of the most demanded innovations are for air and space travel. To safely transfer cargo and passengers, these crafts must have the best quality engineering. While these advancements may seem much and enough, there is still a demand for the improvement for those vehicles.

One problem that relates to air and spacecrafts are wires, connectors and penetrations. Wire used in such vehicles take up much mass, making the vehicle heavier, slower and harder to control. Thus, requiring more propulsion to travel.

Objectives

-Re-engineer the wiring system of Apollo 13 spacecraft

-Insert additional functions and beneficial to the spacecraft

-Maintain or lower the cost of constructing Apollo 13.

Rationale

The authors is motivated by the event SpaceAppsChallenge to write this paper. The authors also realized, with the help of the said event, the demand for a solution for the problem of wires in aircrafts and spacecrafts.

The authors are also driven by their passion and interests towards the subject.

If this paper is successful, it can be applied to existing and future aircrafts. If applied, it will lower production cost, lower the fuel consumed per trip, improve the performance of the vehicle.

Apollo Command Module

In April 4, 1970, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) execute the space mission Apollo 13 using the launch vehicle Saturn V containing the Command Module Odyssey and Sevice Module Artemis. The Odyssey Command Module was a conical pressure vessel with a maximum diameter of 3.9 m at its base and a height of 3.65 m. It was made of an aluminum honeycomb sandwhich bonded between sheet aluminum alloy. The base of the Module consisted of a heat shield made of brazed stainless steel honeycomb filled with a phenolic epoxy resin as an ablative material and varied in thickness from 1.8 to 6.9 cm. At the tip of the cone was a hatch and docking assembly designed to mate with the lunar module. The module was divided into three compartments. The forward compartment in the nose of the cone held the three 25.4 m diameter main parachutes, two 5 m drogue parachutes, and pilot mortar chutes for Earth landing, it was simmilarly designed in the previous Command Modules, with the purpose of safe re - entry in Earth (McDivitt, J. A., 1970).

Apollo Service Module

The Service Module attatched to Odyssey Command Module was an unpressurized cylindical structure measuring 7.49 m in height and 3.19 m in diameter and its interior was 1.1 m in diameter surrounded by six pie - shaped sectors. It contains the support systems to be use in mission and located usually in uninhabited area in spacecrafts.

Application and Optimization

The main concept of applying wireless network in Apollo 13 is to place receivers near vital components and replace wiring. These can be organized in a hierarchical system in which signals from the controls pass through the receiver, with the receiver interpreting the signal's instructions. The receiver will then relay instructions to the component and the component may send a feedback.

Commands will be compressed into signals for faster and more efficient communication. All receivers will be in a closed network which allows specific receivers to be targeted for an instruction.

Modifications on the Apollo 13

The Spacecraft's receiver will be placed on Aft Compartment wherein in all the wirinng and control center were located.

Penetrations will be eliminated and two receivers will be placed on the opposite sides of the craft for the sensors.

The receiver will interpret various data received from the control panel.

Recommendations

We recommend to improve and integrate the methods as to what wires can be eliminated and removed as this will help apply wireless communications in aircrafts and spacecrafts.

We also recommend to further develop ways as to how can additional wirings can be removed and the idea of an aircraft going full wireless.

References:

NSSDA Master Catalog Apollo 13 Mission Report (1970)

Retrieved Oct. 20, 2019 at https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display...