Roid Rage The Baseplate Is On A Diet
Jul 17, 2025
Dive into the humorous world of aerospace engineering as the team unpacks the intricacies of mass budgets and base plate design. Mechanical Engineer Eric shares tales of machining mishaps and the challenges of weight management. Expect witty anecdotes about pizza truck adventures alongside serious insights into the iterative design process. From coatings to health risks in machining, the lighthearted banter keeps the discussion engaging while exploring the serious side of engineering challenges and innovations.
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Understanding Mass Budgets and Margins
- Mass budgets cap total spacecraft weight to avoid removal from launch manifests.
- Every subsystem receives a mass allocation, but margins account for manufacturing uncertainty.
Base Plate Design Principles
- Stiffness and strength of a base plate greatly improve by increasing its height, affecting its moment of inertia.
- Choosing materials with higher stiffness, like aluminum 7075 over 6061, optimizes structure performance.
Early Base Plate Overweight Anecdote
- The first base plate attempt weighed 8.5 kilograms, nearly double the target.
- The team laughed off the design due to excessive weight and complexity.