BREEZE

Program Overview

• Mission: The Bio-inspired Ray for Extreme Environments and Zonal Exploration (BREEZE) is an innovative inflatable structure designed with bio-inspired propulsion and buoyancy control to navigate and study Venus
• Challenges: Known for its extreme conditions, Venus presents significant challenges, including crushing atmospheric pressure, searing temperatures exceeding 400°C, and clouds of corrosive sulfuric acid
• Scientific Objectives: Track weather patterns, determine atmospheric constituents, map the Venusian magnetic field, and produce detailed surface scans via remote sensing while conducting dispersed sample collection — enabled by circumnavigation every 4-6 days at ~50-60 km altitude riding zonal winds

Experience from 2019-2020

Analysis

• Led the preliminary structural analyses to validate the integrity of the inflatable and morphing flier using HyperWorks FEA
• Developed and studied mesh refinements to create a more ideal FEM of the structure
• Designed and FDM 3D printed wing ribs to simulate the inflation actuation as a fundamental proof of concept
• Investigated multiple composite material studies in LS-DYNA to determine the optimal composite layered material to represent the flexible flier

Achievements

• Presented Phase I at the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Symposium in Huntsville, AL on September 24, 2019 (See NIAC 2019 Day 1 - Part 2)
• Achieved the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Academic Fellowship 2019
• Program selected for continuation in 2022 for NIAC Phase II
• Contributed as one of the lead undergraduate researchers to the NIAC Phase I Final Report
• Related news article