How do you land a rover on Mars?

Collaboration Challenge

First Things First• Determine mission.• Raise funds for project.• Design and build rover

including instrumentation.• Test rover.• Design and build rocket.• Design and build Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) system.• Design and build system to communicate with the rover.• Map course to Mars.• Communicate with public about mission.• . . .• “Thanks to countless and demanding hours of effort from a

workforce of thousands of people.”

MSL Launch: Nov. 26, 2011

Cruising:

• Trip from Earth to Mars =

over 300 million miles• Takes about 36 weeks

(254 days)• Landing Date: August 6, 2012

EDL

• Begins when the spacecraft reaches the Martian atmosphere about 75 miles above the surface.• Ends with rover safely on the surface.• Autonomous entry sequence takes spacecraft

from

13,000 mph to

1.7 mph in

6:30 minutes.

3 Ways to Land on Mars• http://

marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/videos/index.cfm?v=46

Spirit and Opportunity’s Landing

Curiosity’s Landing

Pros/ConsAirbag Sky Crane

Why they changed the landing• Curiosity is too big (over 2,000 lbs.) for an

airbag-assisted landing.• First use of “soft-landing” technique

with the sky crane.• Wanted more precision in landing area.• Ready to roll! – during the lowering of the

rover, the front mobility system will be deployed.

Your ChallengeWith your team and the materials provided:

1. Design a landing system to slow down and cushion the fall of your “rover” (an uncooked egg).

2. Test your landing system with a plastic egg in your assigned classroom.

3. You can only use the supplies provided but you do not need to use all of them.

25 minutes to design and test

Landing!• Each team will release their

landing system from the top

of the track bleachers.

• Goal #1: land rover/egg

without it breaking.• Goal #2: land as close to

target as possible.

Supplies• 6 pieces of paper• 6 paper towel sheets• 1 roll of tape• 1 gallon-size Ziploc bag• 1 piece of string• 1 pair of scissors• 1 drinking cup• 1 square foot of bubble wrap• 1 helium balloon• 1 plastic egg• 1 real, uncooked egg (will be given to you outside)

Don’t forgetyour

collaboration skills