Tue, May 17, 2011
Lockheed Martin-Built Capsule Will Protect NASA's Curiosity
Rover
NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) aeroshell and cruise stage
were delivered to Kennedy Space Center, FL. last week. Lockheed
Martin built the aeroshell and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
built the cruise stage. The aeroshell will encapsulate and protect
the Curiosity rover during its deep space cruise to Mars, and from
the intense heat and friction that will be generated as the system
descends through the Martian atmosphere.
The MSL backshell and the cruise stage departed from March Air
Reserve Base, CA on an Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport
plane. The plane stopped a Buckley Air Force Base near Denver where
the heatshield was loaded on board, and then continued to Kennedy
Space Center. The Curiosity rover and its descent stage will be
shipped to Florida in June. Recently, Lockheed Martin integrated
the MSL Entry Descent and Landing Instrument (MEDLI) onto the back
of the heatshield. Provided by NASA's Langley and Ames Research
Centers, MEDLI will collect temperature and pressure data during
the spacecraft's descent through the Martian atmosphere.
"Designing and building such a large and complex aeroshell was
truly a challenge, but together with our partners, we have produced
what we believe to be an amazing capsule," said Rich Hund, MSL
program manager at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. "We just
finished the installation of the MEDLI package. Now we're looking
forward to seeing the data it will return as that knowledge will
help determine how we design future Martian entry systems."
In October 2008, the backshell, half of the large and
sophisticated two-part aeroshell, was delivered to JPL in Pasadena,
CA,. where it was integrated with other flight systems. The
aeroshell/heatshield is the largest ever built for a planetary
mission at nearly 15 feet in diameter. In contrast, the
aeroshells/heatshields of the Spirit and Opportunity Mars
Exploration Rovers measured 8.5 feet and Apollo capsule heatshields
measured just less than 13 feet.
The rover Curiosity is in testing at NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., which manages the Mars Science
Laboratory project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate,
Washington. The rover and other parts of the Mars Science
Laboratory are being delivered in May and June to NASA Kennedy
Space Center in Florida for launch late this year. In August 2012,
Curiosity will land on Mars for a two-year mission to examine
whether conditions in the landing area have been favorable for
microbial life and for preserving evidence about whether life has
existed there.
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