Chapter
Apr 26, 2012
Development Testing of the Mars Pathfinder Inflatable Landing System
Publication: Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Space V
Abstract
The Mars Pathfinder lander uses a novel airbag impact attenuation system to perform its landing on Mars. Full scale testing under Mars like atmospheric pressure conditions was performed to obtaining accurate loading conditions on the airbags during impacts on a rocky terrain. The objective was to minimize the total mass of the airbags while maximizing their performance. This paper will discuss the design of the airbags, the testing techniques used and the lessons learned from the tests. The final design of the airbag subsystem incorporates a 5 layer Vectran fabric construction with solid propellant gas generators and has a mass of 99 kg.
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Published In
Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Space V
Pages: 1059 - 1068
Copyright
© 1996 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Published online: Apr 26, 2012
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Authors
Affiliations
Tommaso P. Rivellini
Airbag lead engineer, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, Ca 91109
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Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.