Mars Rover

2018 ◽  
pp. 137-192
Author(s):  
Arnaldo Pérez Castaño
Keyword(s):  
Mars Rover

NASA's last-shot plan to revive silent Mars rover

Nature ◽  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Witze
Keyword(s):  
Mars Rover

NASA has launched the most ambitious Mars rover ever built: here’s what happens next

Nature ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 584 (7819) ◽  
pp. 15-16
Author(s):  
Alexandra Witze
Keyword(s):  
Mars Rover

Crater mound a prize and puzzle for Mars rover

Nature ◽  
2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Hand
Keyword(s):  
Mars Rover

Old Mars rover finds signs of ancient water

Nature ◽  
2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Witze
Keyword(s):  
Mars Rover

Systematization of Shock Response Control Based on Momentum Exchange and Energy Exchange and Its Application to Lunar/Planetary Spacecraft

Impact ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 (10) ◽  
pp. 73-75
Author(s):  
Susumu Hara
Keyword(s):  
Energy Exchange ◽  
Control Mechanism ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Aerospace Engineering ◽  
Single Test ◽  
Momentum Exchange ◽  
Mars Rover ◽  
Response Control ◽  
Shock Control ◽  
Shock Response

Professor Susumu Hara is based at the Department of Aerospace Engineering, Nagoya University in Japan explains that when the Mars rover Opportunity was set to land on that planet in the first weeks of 2004, onlookers held their breath as it dropped from orbit and hurtled toward the red surface. 'Any failure in the calculations or landing systems would mean a harder than expected impact,' he highlights. 'The impacts sustained by a rover such as Opportunity can derail a mission before it even starts, damaging cargo or vital systems required to complete the mission.' Impacts occur during landing but also as the craft enters the atmosphere, when it makes sudden moves, while it is on surface or when debris strikes it. 'Therefore, a system and materials to protect a craft are vital,' outlines Hara. 'Surprisingly, the solutions to this problem are not sophisticated. In fact, most craft still employ devices resembling automobile bumpers, which absorb the energy from an impact by crumpling under the force of said impact.' Unfortunately, these cannot be reused, even during testing phases a new prototype is required after every single test run. Recent missions also employed techniques like airbags or sky cranes. While successful they too have drawbacks. 'Airbags create huge rebounds which can jostle the craft and the contents inside while sky cranes are extremely costly to develop,' Hara says. For this reason, he is dedicated to designing a new highly reliable and cost-effective shock control mechanism.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document