Mars Bike #cyclehack17 - Designing a bike for Mars exploration.

1. Biking on Mars
CycleHack Lisbon 17

2. Story of Idea

3. Mars Constraints
Earth Mars
Surface gravity 9.807 m/s2 (1 g) 0.376 g
Surface Pressure
101.325 kPa
1 atm
0.636 kPa
0.00628 atm
Composition by volume
78.08% nitrogen
20.95% oxygen
0.930% argon
95.97% carbon dioxide
1.93% argon
1.89% nitrogen
Atmosphere density 1.2 Kg/ m3 0.020Kg/m3

4. Rationale for biking on Mars
1. Effectiveness of biking (x10 less power than on Earth)
2. 10x wider radius (100x area) on bike than walking
3. More mission flexibility than just 1 rover (e-truck);
4. New Mars Space suit (MIT approach)

5. Effectiveness of biking
• In terms of the amount of energy a person must expend to travel a given
distance, cycling is calculated to be the most efficient self-powered
means of transportation. Total Cycling Power is up to x10 lower on
Mars.
• Total Power=P{Air Drag}+P{Rolling}+P{Slope}+P{Acceleration})/
Mechanical_efficiency_drive_train.
Earth Mars
P (Air Drag) 125 5
P (Rolling Resistance) 25 8.5
P (Slope) 25 8.5
P (Acceleration) 0 0
Total Power (W) 175 22

6. Increase up x100 Effective
Exploration Area
• Green > walking
exploration area (5km
radius)
• Yellow > walking
exploration area (5km
radius)
• x10 wider radius (x100
area) on bike >> walking

7. New Space Suit
MIT Elastic ModelZ2 Pressurised Model

8. 5 Req. for Mars Bike
1. Needs to carry science pack (w/ support frame).
2. Power charging and navigational aids.
3. Extra oxygen supply on bike.
4. Bike can carry 2 astronauts if needed.
5. 10.000€ Budget for functional prototype.

9. Earth-special cases
• Antarctica
• Desert
• Extreme Mountain

11. Design Dilemmas
1. E-bike vs Human powered
2. Trike vs Bicycle
3. Tubeless vs Airless tires.
4. Full suspension vs no-suspension
5. Single Speed vs Multi-speed
6. Shaft vs Chain transmission.
7. Foldable vs Non-foldable.
8. Ship spare parts vs 3D print parts en route/ on site.
9. Steel frame vs ballast system (Carbon / 3D print parts).
10. Science Pack & Buddy astronaut

12. 1. E-bike vs H-bike

13. 2. Trike vs Byke

14. 3. Tubeless vs Airless

15. 4. Full-suspension (coil)?

16. 5. Single vs Multi-speed

17. 6. Shaft vs Chain drive

18. 7. Foldable vs Non-foldable

19. 8. Take Spare Parts vs 3D
printing on site.

20. 9. Carbon frame (1,5Kg) w/ ballast system.

21. 10. Science Pack