On 5 August 2012, the Mars Science Laboratory entry vehicle successfully entered the atmosphere of Mars, flying a guided entry until parachute deploy. The Curiosity rover landed safely in Gale crater upon completion of the entry, descent, and landing sequence. Preflight aerodynamic predictions are compared with the aerodynamic performance of the entry capsule identified from onboard flight data, including inertial-measurement-unit accelerometer and rate gyro information, and heat shield surface pressure measurements. From the onboard data, static force and moment coefficients have been extracted. These data are compared with the preflight aerodynamic database. The Mars Science Laboratory flight data represent the most complete and self-consistent record of a blunt capsule entering Mars collected to date. These data enable the separation of aerodynamic performance from atmospheric conditions. The comparisons show the Mars Science Laboratory aerodynamic characteristics have been successfully identified and resolved to an accuracy better than the aerodynamic database uncertainties used in preflight simulations. A number of small anomalies have been identified and are discussed. These data will help improve aerodynamic databases for future missions and will guide computational fluid dynamics development to improve predictions.
Assessment of the Reconstructed Aerodynamics of the Mars Science Laboratory Entry Vehicle
Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets ; 51 , 4 ; 1076-1093
2014-06-20
18 pages
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
Assessment of the Reconstructed Aerodynamics of the Mars Science Laboratory Entry Vehicle
Online Contents | 2014
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