The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is a NASA rover mission that will be launched in late 2011 and will land on Mars in August of 2012. This paper describes the analyses performed to validate the navigation system for launch, interplanetary cruise, and approach. MSL will use guidance during its descent into Mars in order to minimize landing dispersions, and therefore will be able to use smaller landing zones that are closer to terrain of high scientific interest. This will require a more accurate delivery of the spacecraft to the atmospheric entry interface, and a late update of the state of the spacecraft at entry. During cruise and approach the spacecraft may perform up to six trajectory correction maneuvers (TCMs), to target to the desired landing site with the required flight path angle at entry. Approach orbit determination covariance analyses have been performed to evaluate the accuracy that can be achieved in delivering the spacecraft to the entry interface point, and to determine how accurately the state of the spacecraft can be predicted to initialize the guidance algorithm. In addition, a sensitivity analysis has been performed to evaluate which factors most contribute to the improvement or degradation of the navigation performance, for both entry flight path angle delivery and entry state knowledge.


    Access

    Access via TIB

    Check availability in my library


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Mars Science Laboratory interplanetary navigaton analysis


    Contributors:

    Publication date :

    2011-03-03


    Type of media :

    Preprint


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English



    Mars Science Laboratory Interplanetary Navigation Analysis

    Martin-Mur, Tomas J. / Kruizinga, Gerard L. / Wong, Mau C. | NTRS | 2011


    Car navigaton system

    Online Contents | 1994


    Mars Science Laboratory Interplanetary Navigation

    Martin-Mur, T J | Online Contents | 2014


    Mars Science Laboratory Interplanetary Navigation

    Martin-Mur, T. J. / Kruizinga, G. L. / Burkhart, P. D. et al. | AIAA | 2014


    Mars Science Laboratory Interplanetary Navigation Performance

    Martin-Mur, Tomas J. / Kruizinga, Gerhard / Wong, Mau | NTRS | 2013