Overview:
I have thousands of hours involved with computer hardware and software
engineering. In addition to this, I have picked up some general engineering
principles from studying Calculus and other higher math. I have studied
Physics and Chemistry. And, my favorite TV programming is science and engineering,
business, and politics. If you read the content throughout this website,
practically all of it is related to engineering concepts. Type in engineering
in the search bar - and you will get a lot of matches. One of the great
lessons in Computing Technology, Engineering, and Science is modularization.
The more your engineering is like LEGO™ blocks, the better. Your
design and implementation will be easier to understand. As with any
topic on this website, this is an oversimplification, but I am not writing
a book here and will continue to maintain focus toward space endeavors.
In the next section, I discuss modular engineering. No doubt, serious
space endeavors need to consider modular engineering. Stations, stages,
capsules, and other components should have some uniformity for general
access, construction, and other considerations.
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Modularization:Theoretically, you could build any structure with LEGOS™ blocks. You could smooth your final product and reinforce it. You could coat it in myriads of sealants or other materials. You could glue each piece at least as strong as the blocks themselves, giving a mono design in properties. You could make sub structures robotically. Some of these structures might be "walls", and some common angles such as 45 degree angles. You might make some bars. You might consider arches. You may have dozens of larger structures created robotically that will have common use in designing, fortifying, and engineering. Chemical engineering in many instances is similar when building micro structures and linking them. In computer hardware and software engineering you similarly build pieces and blocks of code and circuitry. These blocks then become more portable and accessible by other programs and users. When speaking of space colonization, general modularization must be considered. Airlocks and fittings should be either universal, or at least easily retrofittable. |
General Dynamics:This is another fundamental concept to engineering including structural engineering. Since this subject can cover so much theory, I will only touch on it slightly. I will cover dynamics in some of the following sections such as relativity, modeling, failures, etc. Some forms of dynamics may include interactions of your design with various elements. For a building, you likely want to consider wind effects. For a submarine, you will consider eddies and currents. Building a boat may consider hydrodynamics and aerodynamics. Generally speaking, less resistance in dynamics is optimal, unless resistance is engineered for a specific purpose, in a spot or two to achieve balance, trim, etc. |
Failures:Failures can and do occur. So find where they are likely to occur, and handle them. You must ask yourself if a failure occurs, is it critical and severe. If it is, then you have critical parts and sections that require special attention. Because of the occurrence of failures, you may want to build failure points that are not critical, but that absorb potential failure of critical parts and structures. Built in failure points should indicate obvious stresses and serve as a warning of impending failure - they should be obvious! One tear in a weld should not span the entire craft! There are plenty of ways of stopping or minimizing failure. Folks, many of you use it everyday - an automobile which is designed to fail around the passengers. These are called crumple zones and these zones soften the impact experienced by passengers. In computer engineering, failures are handled by trapping the failure and notifying programs and users of the failure - nicely, and by programming corrective action. But I divert! |
Critical Parts:On a spacecraft, there are a lot of critical parts. I hate to say it, but communications are not one of these. This is why we need semi-autonomous human beings who can judge the situation accordingly. This statement may frost ground operations, and has so in the past. This is one reason I cover logistics so extensively throughout this website. Redundancy in logistical support may be required for any colonization effort. In a colonization effort, life systems would be the most important. Why? In a colonization effort, damn near everything could fail, but you would have a regional Armada to assist you, if you are alive to solicit the services. The human being would have to have an emergency cocoon of safety for as long as possible. This may include too many systems beyond the scope of this page, but some are covered elsewhere on this site. The first pioneers would want and need tremendous autonomy in decision making. |
Redundancy:Following the previous section, we still would want a lot of autonomy - certainly from ground control communications. But of course, you would want to have an understanding of your life systems and navigational controls. Critical systems may require redundancy. This redundancy need not be full or comprehensive, but should consider logistical support, and the nature of the emergency as well as the amount of time to correct or abort the situation. Folks, spacecraft can practically fly themselves these days. Several landers, rovers, and craft have traversed their environments successfully from pre-programmed guidance and ground control. The need to have people making semi-autonomous decisions on location is extremely important, because these are real time scenarios that call for quick judgment and critical thinking - time delays and red tape procedures are unacceptable. If you take my concept aircraft as an example, if the fly-by-wire control surfaces fail, you have a ballistics parachute available. You will also have a basic mechanical reserve system to help you land safely. The reserve is not elegant, and you will no longer be able to perform aerobatics, but you will be able to land and walk away! As always, and throughout this site, I could write entire books on this, but for the sake of brevity and an easy read, this is where I will leave the concept of redundancy in systems. |
Gyros/Pendulums:Folks, I finally have included a physics section on this website because of how many times I refer to it. Just type physics in the search field on this page, then come back to read. I have covered/will cover Physics extensively throughout this website. Gyros and Pendulums have a few things in common and a few differences. So, I will likely cover these two in general Newtonian Laws and Physics. A gyro is, or produces a field of equilibrium, or creates a field of equilibrium on a plane. If you have played with a top, or a frisbee, you will notice that a field surrounds your object on a plane, and creates overall stability. When we speak of this, we speak of interesting forces. These forces are quite fundamental, predictable, and measurable. You may find gyros and pendulums across broad applications including flight data recorders. |
Modeling/Relativity:Einstein wrote a text about his Special Theory of Relativity decades ago. I have never read his texts, but can appreciate abstraction and relativity theory that is likely covered in his writings. If you understand and comprehend some of these ideas, you can take them very far. Let us start with modeling in Hollywood sets. They are very familiar with scale models and use many tools available to them. When your boat or ship on a Hollywood set is only 2 inches long, it is less massive relative to its surface areas. Surface, volume, and mass growth are disproportionate in an object as it shrinks or expands in scale - but it is predictable! So as you scale down your object for study and testing, you need to make adjustments to its surroundings and materials. With a 2 inch ship that is 200 feet in real life, the water (fluid) needs to be less dense to behave accordingly - and this is measurable! Instead of wood or metal, you will use foam to construct your tiny ship. Everything changes in a micro world, but is measurable and predictable. This is one reason that I have devoted an entire section to higher math. Density, volume, mass, and size have important and measurable relationships, at micro or macro levels. Though computer modeling may be optimal for such endeavors in some circumstances, an understanding of relative relationships is great knowledge. In meditation and thought, I have devoted thousands of hours to these ideas. Abstraction and Relativity can be very difficult concepts, but are definitely considered in scale modeling and computer modeling and may be as simple as using the mind's eye, or as complex as the tedious arithmetic and calculations of Calculus. |
Summary:Throughout this website, I mention Space Products, materials, equipment, science, etc. As a consumer, when you purchase an item that claims to be aircraft grade, aerospace quality, or marine grade, keep in mind that these products and materials are designed for extreme conditions and are of high quality - if they are certified or reputable! A space endeavor yields so much knowledge, such that the knowledge alone justifies the expense. A space endeavor challenges engineering, science, technology, math, logistics, energy, life systems, endurance, finances, and more - all of which I cover throughout this website. The engineering involved in space endeavors is very extensive and comprehensive, and it has to consider so many extremes and tolerances of materials and design. The knowledge acquired directly benefits society with new ideas, products, and innovations that makes every day living more enjoyable and comfortable. |
Pic Group:FOLDER: engineering
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