[meteorite-list] Boeing to Design Guidance Parachute Technology for Mars Missions

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue Aug 17 12:48:52 2004
Message-ID: <200408171648.JAA04558_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2004/q3/nr_040816n.html
 
Boeing to Design Guidance Parachute Technology for Mars Missions
Boeing News Release
August 16, 2004

ST. LOUIS - Boeing [NYSE: BA] has won a $1.5 million,
three-year NASA Mars Technology Development contract to develop guidance
parachute technology for future Mars missions.

The contract award, which will be managed by the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology,
supports NASA's Mars Exploration Program, an initiative to utilize cost
effective innovations for precision entry, descent and landing. NASA's
proposed robotic Mars missions, using this parachute guidance
technology, would be capable of landing on the surface of the planet
within four kilometers (2.5 miles) of the target area. The technologies
could also have applications for future manned Mars missions.

"This contract allows us to leverage more than four decades of space
exploration experience and work with NASA to establish and implement the
requirements set forth in the new Vision for Space Exploration," said
Mike Mott, Boeing NASA Systems vice president and general manager. "As
the Vision for Space Exploration was set out, we adjusted to meet its
challenges, and this contract confirms that our strategic focus meets
customer needs."

Traditional ballistic parachutes used to decelerate planetary entry
vehicles are susceptible to Martian winds, which may cause them to drift
away from the intended landing site. In January 2004, the Spirit rover
encountered high winds during its landing at Gusev Crater. With the
Boeing guidance technology, an onboard flight controller would activate
the wind drift compensation parachute system during descent to reduce
landing site errors.

The guidance system would use three slots or flaps on the periphery of a
parachute that open and close, regulating wind airflow. Like thrusters,
these slots can produce lateral forces thereby providing lateral control
to compensate for wind gusts, governing horizontal velocity. This
parachute control already exists on Earth-based ballistic parachutes
operating under pilot control.

The building and testing of the prototype parachute system could occur
in 2006 with a simulated Mars environmental drop test scheduled for the
following year.

John McKinney of Boeing Phantom Works is the principal investigator for
the program. The Boeing-led team includes Irvin Aerospace of Orange
County, Calif.; Global Solutions for Science and Learning (GSSL) in
Tillamook, Oregon; and Oregon State University, Corvallis .

"Wind drift compensation is just part of the overall requirement of
future and advanced entry descent and landing systems," said McKinney .
"Any vehicle that performs a final touchdown, such as required for a
human mission, must be capable of a stable landing on a potentially
difficult landing site."

In addition to managing the project, Boeing will apply the closed-loop
control law to command parachute drive slots to respond to actual wind
forces, minimize landing-site error, and produce simulation testing of
the overall system with regard to planetary external forces, including
parachute aerodynamics, Martian wind models and the control system design.

Irvin will provide the parachute system, including a full scale Mars
parachute with slots, control lines, motor and a flight control computer
programmed with the Boeing wind drift compensation control algorithm.
GSSL will provide additional systems data and engineering support for
component integration activities.

Boeing Phantom Works is the advanced research and development unit and
catalyst of innovation for The Boeing Company. Th rough its various
groups, it provides leading edge systems and technology solutions to the
business units, including Integrated Defense Systems, of which Boeing
NASA Systems is part.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Integrated Defense Systems is one
of the world's largest space and defense businesses. Headquartered in
St. Louis , Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $27 billion business.
It provides systems solutions to its global military, government and
commercial customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance; the world's largest military aircraft
manufacturer; the world's largest satellite manufacturer and a leading
provider of space-based communications; the primary systems integrator
for U.S. missile defense; NASA's largest contractor; and a global leader
in launch services.

###

Contacts:
Tanya E. Deason-Sharp
Boeing NASA Systems
(281) 226-6070
tanya.e.deason-sharp_at_boeing.com

Glen Golightly
Boeing Phantom Works
(714) 372-4742
Received on Tue 17 Aug 2004 12:48:48 PM PDT