Aerospace Engineering Seminar

Abstract
The state of the art in Entry, Descent, and Landing systems for Mars applications is largely based on technologies developed in the late 1960's and early 1970's for the Viking Lander program. Increases in entry mass, landed mass, and landed altitude beyond MSL capabilities will require further advances. With this in mind, a multi-year program has been initiated by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate to advance three new types of supersonic decelerators that would enable future large-robotic and human-precursor class missions to Mars.

The Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) Project is developing and testing two new Supersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators (SIADs), a 6-meter diameter attached torus and an 8-meter attached isotensoid. Both devices will be tested at full-scale and at Mach numbers exceeding 3.5 in the upper reaches of Earth's atmosphere, the first testing of this kind to be conducted in over 40 years. Additionally, a new supersonic parachute is being developed with an eye towards human precursor and human class missions. This new parachute, a 30.5-meter nominal diameter Disksail, will be tested at Mach numbers of ~2.5 in both a full-open and reefed configuration.

Development and maturation of these technologies to TRL-5 and 6 has presented numerous challenges and a number of new testing architectures, vehicles, and techniques have had to be developed, including the use of a rocketsled and high-altitude balloon drop. This talk will provide an overview of the Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator project, including details on the technologies, the new test-techniques that needed to be developed to test them, and a vision of their application in future Mars robotic and human class missions.