This fall NASA will send its most capable robotic geologist to the surface of the Red Planet. The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission will land a 2000 lb rover, the size of a compact car, to explore the planes of Mars. The rover, aptly named Curiosity, will search for organic compounds, characterize the climate and geology, and continue the search for life. One of the most challenging aspects... [read more]

This fall NASA will send its most capable robotic geologist to the surface of the Red Planet. The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission will land a 2000 lb rover, the size of a compact car, to explore the planes of Mars. The rover, aptly named Curiosity, will search for organic compounds, characterize the climate and geology, and continue the search for life. One of the most challenging aspects of the mission, from an engineering perspective, is safely landing the rover on the surface. The entry descent and landing (EDL) system uses a heat shield to accommodate its hypersonic entry conditions, followed by a supersonic parachute, and eight retro rockets for the powered descent. For its final terminal descent, a maneuver called the sky crane is used where the rover is lowered on a tether for touchdown. The talk will describe how specific engineering challenges were tackled with computational modeling and cutting edge experimental techniques.