The Aerospace Corporation 2013

MARS
DROP

Matthew A. Eby
Mechanical Systems Department
Vehicle Systems Division/ETG
The Aerospace Corporation
May 25, 2013

2 Photograph courtesy of NASA
The Aerospace Corporation (Aerospace), a California nonprofit corporation has
flown 20 small satellites over the past 15 years.
3
MARS
DROP
Landing System for a Mars Planetary Micro-probe
MARS
DROP
is an Aerospace research
project to adapt Aerospaces REBR
(Reentry Breakup Recorder) vehicle for use
as a Planetary micro-probe
Existing aeroshell is well suited for Mars
entry (aerodynamically stable)
Simply need to add a landing system
Research objective to demonstrate proof-of-
concept landing system that leaves sufficient
volume for a useful scientific payload.


Objective
Approach
Engage with scientific community from outset
Collaboration with Planetary Science Institute
Architect three aspects
Backshell separation mechanism
Deployment of aerodynamic drag device
Terminal landing hardware
Test on Earth with high altitude balloon deployments


Key Milestones
Landing Architecture Study Fall 2012
First High Altitude Field Test Soon
Complete Detailed Design Fall 2013
Final High Altitude Field Test 2014



REBR
4
Entry, Descent, & Landing

7 Minutes of Terror
Progressively larger NASA Mars Landers have produced progressively
more exciting landings (e.g. MSLs 7 Minutes of Terror)
Larger mass densities equate to higher ballistic coefficients and faster terminal
velocities, requiring complex multi-stage, supersonic deceleration
Multi-stage, supersonic deceleration is untestable as a system on Earth (cost prohibitive)
A micro-probe has the advantage of going smaller, with a low ballistic
coefficient that greatly simplifies the landing architecture.
A sufficiently low ballistic coefficient will produce a subsonic terminal velocity, requiring a
simple, single-stage, subsonic deceleration to reach landing velocity
Single stage, subsonic deceleration is easily tested on Earth
Drop testing at high altitudes (where atmosphere has same density as Mars surface)

Chute Deploy ~Mach 2
Chute Deploy ~Mach 0.8
Pathfinder / MER / MSL
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Entry, Descent, & Landing
Ballistic Mars Entry Curves
Pathfinder, 68 kg/m
2
, Entry at 7.3 km/sec & -14.2
Spirit/Opportunity, 97 kg/m
2
, Entry at 5.5 km/sec & -11.5
Mars
DROP
, 35 kg/m
2
, Entry at 6.9 km/sec & -13.25 * Parachute
Window
Mach 1
Microprobe goes subsonic around 10 km subsonic landing system
Pathfinder, Spirit, Opportunity, MSL all supersonic during parachute deploy

M
a
c
h

N
u
m
b
e
r

Altitude (km)
*Microprobe goes subsonic across wide range of entry parameters
3-DOF Simulation
(Range, Height, Orientation)
6
Aerodynamic Decelerator Trade Study
Available Volume is the Limiting Factor
Concepts:
Solid Circular
Parachute




Disk-Gap-Band
Parachute
Inflatable
Decelerator
Vortex Ring
Parachute
Parawing
Claim to Fame Standard Round
Solid Parachute
Used on all NASA
Mars Landers
Targeted for
future NASA
Mars Landers
Highest Drag Gliding Chute
Supersonic No Yes Yes Unreliable No
Complexity Low Low High High (Swivel) Medium
Prior Research Extensive Extensive Moderate Minimal Moderate
Subsonic Drag Moderate (C
D
~
0.9)
Low (C
D
~ 0.6) Moderate (C
D
~
0.8)
Very High (C
D
~
2.0)
Very Low (C
D
~
0.3), but Lift
Mass / Volume
for 7.5m/s vertical
velocity (reference V)
1.1 kg / 2300 cm
3
1.7 kg / 3480 cm
3

2.5 kg / 5200 cm
3
0.5 kg / 1050 cm
3
0.1 kg / 200 cm
3
Notes / Landing
Site Limitations

Poor subsonic drag
prompts two-stage
deceleration
Is attractive for
much larger
vehicles
Suspect
Reliability
Horizontal
velocity -could
be good or bad
~ 3000 cm
3
internal volume

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Why a Parawing
Back to the Future
NASA studied parawings in the 1960s for
Gemini & Apollo reentry vehicles, but
ultimately did not employ them.
For a Mars microprobe they are attractive
We are volume limited, so the Lifting
action (L/D ~ 3) sets up a glide path that
greatly reduces the vertical landing
velocity
By far smallest volume amongst options
We have a subsonic deployment and
deceleration, where parawings are
usable
Extensive existing database of
aerodynamic characteristics for
microprobe design sizing
Steerable & will glide for km!

Image Courtesy of NASA
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Parawing Challenges
and why Gemini astronauts never glided back home
It kicks like a mule during inflation, 2-3 times higher transient loads
than an equivalent circular chute
But lightweight instruments designed to MAC (Mass Acceleration Curve)
launch loads should be able to handle this better than astronauts
Its a bit of a packing nightmare, with 275 feet of rigging line
But the advent of high performance synthetic fibers (Spectra) keeps the
stowed volume small

9
Landing Architecture
Entry Interface
100 km, V=7km/sec
T+1 min, Max Q
35 km, 15 gs
T+3 min, Backshell Sep.
6.5 km, Mach 0.85
T+3 min, Main Deploy
6.5 km, 200m/sec
T+3 min, Peak Inflation Load
6.5 km, 65 gs
T+10 min, Terminal Landing
3.0 km, Vertical <7.5 m/sec
Foreground Image Courtesy of NASA
3-DOF Simulation
(Range, Height, Orientation)
10
Going to Mars on Earth
High Altitude Testing

Low density Mars surface atmosphere is replicated on Earth at high altitude
(~100,000 feet), reachable for small payloads with weather balloons
Test in stages
Deployment tests of the Parawing
across Q (dynamic pressure)
bounds
Proof-of-concept demonstrations
for the full landing system
Transition capability to mission
development
Approach yields high fidelity
testing at minimal cost
Small fraction of cost traditionally
expended for verifying a descent
and landing architecture


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Test Architecture
Launch
Target Drop Altitude 90k 100k feet
Release
Accelerate to Dynamic Pressure
Conduct Test
Position & Telemetry
144.39 MHz
Beacon
430 MHz
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Lets Propose a Mars Mission Together
Some Design Parameters
Map Courtesy of NASA
R
a
n
g
e

E
n
a
b
l
e
d

~ 3000 cm
3
internal volume

REBR has a history of riding on NASA & ESA spacecraft
Who wants to try to hitchhike on a forthcoming Mars bound spacecraft?
The parawing is sized to land a 3 kg probe (~1 kg available for the science payload)
at most elevations on Mars
Who wants to target an interesting but risky location the expensive rovers steer clear of?
A parawing is steerable and will glide for kilometers over 10 or more minutes
Who wants to fly into Valles Marineris?
Its a Cubesat in a reentry package, so its pretty cheap (relatively speaking)
Who wants to send a dozen as a distributed science project (weather, seismic, etc.)?
Packed Chute / Backshell
Science Probe / Forebody
Adhere to those Mass Acceleration
Curve Loads (~60 gs)
1.) Pick any Location (almost) 2.) Select the Science 3.) Design for Launch & EDL
?
13
M
RS
DROP
LETS DISCUSS COLLABORATING
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References
1. NASA Technical Note D-5965 LOW-SPEED WIND TUNNEL INVESTIGATION OF ALL-FLEXIBLE TWIN-
KEEL TENSION-STRUCTURE PARAWINGS, 1970.
2. NASA Technical Note D-5793 PERFORMANCE AND DEPLOYMENT CHARACTERISTICS OF A TWIN-KEEL
PARAWING WITH VARIOUS AMOUNTS AND PERMEABILITIES OF POROUS MATERIAL IN OUTER
LOBES, 1970.