NASA is testing the separation of steps of the descent of the Mars 2020 Rover

When starting very soon the Mars 2020 mission, in which the fourth planet of the Solar system is planned to send the Rover will enter its final stage (and this should happen, according to the calculations of NASA 5 August 2022), the Rover for exploration of the red Planet will have to successfully land on the planet’s surface and begin its mission. This will be a more advanced version of the technology that has already proven itself during the landing of Mars Rover Curiosity in 2012. And this technology is already being tested by NASA engineers.

Will look approximately so landing of the Rover Mars 2020

How to land a Mars Rover?

At the moment experts at the American space Agency are testing the vengeance of the steps that will be used during landing of the Rover. A few days ago in Pasadena, California, in a laboratory rocket engine JPL, owned by NASA, passed the first tests involving the explosive separation of stage from the Rover. If you are interested in this topic, we recommend to subscribe to our Telegram channel in order to miss nothing.

The process of planting shall be as follows: when the Rover reaches the upper limits of the Martian atmosphere at hypersonic speeds, it will be protected aerodynamic heat shield and back shell, which not only will reflect heat from entering the atmosphere at the time of deceleration, but will also give the device some lift, allowing it to maneuver. When the speed is due to this decline, a series of parachutes will slow the fall even more.

Read also: NASA will send to Mars helicopter. What is it for?

According to calculations, after the spacecraft shed its cruise stage and heat shield at an altitude of 1 mile (1.6 km), the lander will move with a speed of 170 mph (274 km/h). Shortly thereafter, work eight engines. This will allow the Rover to slow down to a safe landing, and will give the opportunity to control the flight for navigation and finding a safe landing zone on the surface of Mars. The tests took place as follows: the lander with the Rover was lifted to a height of 10 meters with a crane, and then the Rover separated from the apparatus and successfully landed.

The launch, which would keep the Rover and the trigger stage together was a matter of just days, says Ryan van Slipguard, engineer teams to build a Rover for the Mars 2020 mission. Now that testing is over, the descent stage and the Rover will “meet” only at Cape Canaveral next spring during Assembly prior to launch.

Tests of mechanisms of descent of the Rover

The engineers also tested other systems for controlled descent — namely, rocket engines, about which we spoke above. This is suspended on three nylon ropes Rover at a height of 7.5 meters produces a reversal of the wheels 90 degrees so that the latter acted as landing gear.

According to NASA, after the completion of the JPL tests of its equipment and computers, including surface thermal test to simulate the temperature and pressure of Mars, the Rover can be sent for Assembly and installation on the launch United Launch Alliance Atlas V, a launch which should happen in July 2020.


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