It will assist the rover in its descent on Mars

Apr 14, 2010 13:59 GMT  ·  By
This image shows April 9, 2010, testing for a radar that will serve during the next rover landing on Mars
   This image shows April 9, 2010, testing for a radar that will serve during the next rover landing on Mars

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover, now called Curiosity, is one of NASA's most advanced and ambitious space exploration missions and also one of the most challenging. A number of innovative technologies have been used on the MSL for the first time, and everyone involved in its construction is anxious to see them at work. One of the vital systems that the rover and its descent stage will make good use of during atmospheric descent on Mars is an advanced radar system. Recently, experts began conducting test runs, in order to assess its performances.

Throughout this spring, investigators at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) will be conducting numerous studies of the radar system. At the level of precision required to land about a ton of scientific equipment on Mars, any glitch in the navigation and control system, regardless how small, could have disastrous consequences. To make matters worse, the American space agency will also be deploying its first explorations robot using the Sky Crane system, which has never been practically tested before.

The most recent assessments of the radar device were conducted near Lancaster, California, from aboard a helicopter carrying an engineering test model of the device. The helicopter was flown on prescribed descent paths that the Sky Crane carrying Curiosity will also be using upon its Martian atmospheric entry. Given the fact that a clear landing site for the MSL has yet to be determined, the test team decided to analyze the performances of the device on a variety of approach angles, speeds and heights, each of them emulating their Red Planet equivalents.

At this point, the Mini Cooper-sized rover is undergoing the assembly and testing phase of the mission. Its launch is targeted for the autumn of next year, though initial plans saw it on Mars in 2009. Setbacks and cost overruns delayed the mission. According to NASA officials, the machine is to land on Mars no later than the summer of 2012. Before that time, the radar instrument needs to be cleared of all concerns, scientist say. Future tests will include conducting tests with cargo attached to the helicopter, which will simulate the shape and size of the MSL. The goal is to see whether this “confuses” the radar system in analyzing the distance between the aircraft and the ground or not.