Sample Return from Hypothesized Surfaces – Space Elevator Anchor

INSTITUTION

Oregon State University (OSU)

CLASS

Iridium Class (2024 – 2025)

STUDENT TEAM

ACADEMIC GUIDANCE

Dr. Sarah Oman

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The NASA Psyche Space Elevator Anchor project delivers the first comprehensive attachment system designed to secure a kilometer-scale space elevator tether to asteroid 16 Psyche’s metallic surface. Working with Arizona State University’s Psyche Student Collaborations team, our interdisciplinary team successfully designed, prototyped, and tested a 30 lb anchoring device addressing the unique challenges of extreme low-gravity metallic environments.

The system demonstrates autonomous deployment from a compact stowed configuration through four morphing legs equipped with sixteen triangular foot pads, enabling secure attachment across ±34 degree slopes. The sophisticated two-stage attachment approach combines 1,600 N electrostatic adhesion forces for immediate surface grip with permanent thermite bonding creating metallurgical joints for long-term security, achieving a safety factor of two relative to predicted loads.

Comprehensive validation confirmed the system’s ability to withstand 100,000 N tensile forces while maintaining structural integrity through ±200 K thermal cycles. SolidWorks finite element analysis validated structural performance across all critical load paths. The development methodology emphasized rigorous risk assessment and iterative refinement through progressive prototyping campaigns from 3D printed mockups to full-scale additively manufactured aluminum and titanium components, ensuring all engineering specifications were met while maintaining manufacturing feasibility. The delivered technology readiness level four prototype provides a solid foundation for advancement toward flight-qualified hardware.

This work was created in partial fulfillment of the Oregon State University Capstone Course “MIME 497”. The work is a result of the Psyche Student Collaborations component of NASA’s Psyche Mission (https://psyche.ssl.berkeley.edu). “Psyche: A Journey to a Metal World” [Contract number NNM16AA09C] is part of the NASA Discovery Program mission to solar system targets. Trade names and trademarks of ASU and NASA are used in this work for identification only. Their usage does not constitute an official endorsement, either expressed or implied, by Arizona State University or National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of ASU or NASA.