NASA Internship
CDSA SF-3 Johnson Space Center, Houston TX
Summer 2019
I created a new interior design and internal curtain system for SEV2C-AL. SEV2C-AL is a pressurized rover designed for 28+ day lunar exploration missions. A crew of two astronauts will use the Space Exploration Vehicle (SEV) to map and explore lunar terrain and collect samples of rock, minerals, and lunar ice. Project Director: Astronaut Mike Gernhardt
Skills:
User research, material research, sketching, ideation, physical prototyping, engineering, Rhino 6, Vray
Problem
Solution
The existing sleep station curtains are slow to deploy and require complex assembly steps.
The current toilet screen bisects the cabin and is unusable when the sleep station curtain is deployed or when the work benches are in use.
A new curtain design deploys quickly, making privacy easily accessible for astronauts living in tight quarters. Periods of rest and privacy are critical to astronauts’ mental health over 28-day missions.
The new partial-gravity toilet screen integrates with the sleep station curtains to provide a light and acoustic barrier while maintaining access to the work bench.
The new accordion-style curtains quickly descend from the secondary ceiling structure and attach to the bench with magnetic FIDLOCK fasteners. Cables on a spring-loaded reel enable easy curtain stowage in a partial gravity environment.
Partial-gravity Toilet Screen
The partial-gravity toilet screen is stowed on a spring-loaded roll in the floor and deploys to the ceiling. It integrates with the rear portions of the sleep station curtains and uses magnetic “zippers” to provide a tight seal around the toilet. The sleep station curtains and toilet screen are made from 100% Teflon fabric, which can be easily sanitized.
Sleep Station Curtains
The sleep station curtain deploys in two halves in under 25 seconds. Astronauts living in close quarters have easy access to privacy for rest, personal sanitation, remote medical checkups, and more. Its three layer fabric composition attenuates light and sound so that one astronaut can sleep while the other conducts operations.
Translation Aids
Extruded aluminum rails aid astronaut’s movements around the rover as it travels across bumpy lunar terrain.
Toilet Screen Hooks
Simple hooks, laser cut into the secondary structure access panels, secure the partial-gravity toilet screen.
Molded Cushions
Astronauts sleep on the upholstered benches, where molded cushions provide a soft transition from the benches to the walls.
Analogous Color Gradient
Textiles with analogous colors and multiple textures create an earth inspired interior. The yellow tones bring warmth into the metal rover as it navigates the ice covered moon. The color gradient, which grows lighter in value at the top, suggests height and directionality in the cramp, partial-gravity environment.
Existing Design
The current sleep station curtain design is slow to deploy (1 min and 50 sec), requiring 7 complex assembly steps, 7 different types of attachments and awkward reach angles.
The curtains have sound and light leaks where they connect to the secondary structure and are in the way of daily operations. They are also difficult to clean.
The partial gravity toilet screen bisects the cabin and cannot be deployed while the work benches are in use or when the sleep station curtains are deployed. It is only a visual barrier and does not provide light or acoustic attenuation.
Research
After meeting with the Crew and Thermals Systems Division, Acoustics and Noise Control Team, Lighting Environment Team, Environment Control Life Support System Division (ECLSS), and Softgoods Team, I developed a list of constraints, requirements and assumptions for SEV2C-AL. From that research and testing of the existing curtain design, I compiled key insights that guided the priorities of my design.
Key insights
The curtain needs to effectively block out light so that one astronaut can rest while the other drives or conducts operations.
The curtain needs to be lightweight, to reduce the overall rover mass for launch.
The curtain needs to be reliable so it could function for 20+ years without spare parts.
The curtain materials need to be hygienic and easily sanitized (especially around the partial gravity toilet).
The curtain materials need to be nonflammable for a 32% oxygen environment.
The curtain needs to deploy fast so that astronauts living in a cramped environment can get moments of privacy throughout their working period.
Material Selection
Layer 1: 100% Teflon fabric (white) faces the partial gravity toilet. It is easily cleaned and sanitized
Layer 2: Ultra-dense Bisco rubber (hidden) blocks sound from traveling inside the sleep station.
Layer 3: Nomex fabric (blue) provides a softer surface inside the sleep station and absorbs light.
Sample sewn in the Softgoods Lab, JSC
Process
Prototypes
Accordion Curtain
The accordion-style curtain quickly deploys in two halves around the sleep station. It proved to be the most reliable design and did not displace existing systems in the secondary structure.
Tracked Curtain
The tracked curtain used a “rail zipper” to slide in tracks imbedded in the ceiling and bench structures. It was less durable and required intrusive modifications to the secondary structure.
Zippered Corner Curtain
Although novel, the zippered corner design was the least reliable design and would displaced many existing systems in the overhead structure.
