Sunday, August 2, 2020

Lockheed Martin Aeroshell To Protect Perseverance During Mars Touchdown

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The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mission is the hottest project recently launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Agency. Likewise, the situation could get pretty hot for Perseverance when it enters the atmosphere of the Red Planet. Thankfully, the rover is protected from the unrelenting heat of a Martian atmosphere by special aeroshell built by Lockheed Martin. What is this aeroshell and how does it work?


Via NASA

Undeniably, Perseverance and its hitchhiker companion – the Ingenuity helicopter – are the most precious cargo that NASA is sending to Mars. While Perseverance needs to be protected as it travels through deep space for seven months, it also requires greater protection when it touches down on Mars.

Due to its large mass and distinct entry trajectory profile, Perseverance will enter the Martian atmosphere facing intense heat reaching more than 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit. It needs a heat shield that will protect it from the super-high temperature – or else it might get damaged or, worse, it might get burned during entry.


Via Lockheed Martin

Carrying Perseverance through space and shielding it from intense heat is Lockheed Martin’s Mars 2020 aeroshell. To note, the company has been crafting aeroshells for NASA’s Mars missions in the past four decades, and it’s building on its experience to engineer one for the 2020 journey.

The Mars 2020 aeroshell consists of two parts — the heat shield and the backshell – that encapsulate the rover, as held together with separation mechanisms. Using a tiled Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA) thermal protection system, the heat shield will protect Perseverance from burning up as it descends on Mars. It will also serve as a brake that will slow Perseverance from a speed of 12,000 mph.

RELATED: NASA’s Mars 2020 Mission Launched, Arrival Set For February 2021

Also covered with PICA, the cone-shaped backshell structure will protects the rover during entry while supporting mechanisms required for Entry, Descent and Landing. It will also support the sky crane that will lower Perseverance to the surface.


Via NASA

For now, all is a waiting game as the duo is expected to arrive on the Red Planet on February 18, 2021. By then, the aeroshell will be truly tested. We’re hoping it could withstand the challenge as the Mars 2020 mission represents another step for mankind outside of Earth.

Sources: NASA, Lockheed Martin

NEXT: Lockheed Martin Begins Construction Of USS

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By: Julybien Atadero
Title: Lockheed Martin Aeroshell To Protect Perseverance During Mars Touchdown
Sourced From: www.hotcars.com/lockheed-martin-aeroshell-protect-perseverance-mars-touchdown/
Published Date: Sun, 02 Aug 2020 14:00:06 GMT

 

 

 

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