Multi-Mission Space Exploration Vehicle (MMSEV) Nosecone Design Optimization

Abstract

This paper addresses ergonomic drawbacks in NASA's modular Multi-Mission Space Exploration Vehicle's (MMSEV) latest prototype, 2B's nosecone, to propose new iteration based on considerations such as mass minimization, visibility maximization, and structural integrity. With 2B as a benchmark, and using computational tools typically used in the AEC industry to carry out FEA analysis, comparisons are made with potential design changes. The numerical and visual data such as weight, and stress distribution, provided by the benchmark analysis, served as metrics for comparison and redesign. In turn, this design development exercise attempts to bring together the different design approaches to design, held by humanfactors designers and structural engineers.