Towards the Prediction of the Mars 2020 Heatshield Material ResponseIntroduction: NASA’s next mission to Mars, the Mars 2020, will use the same heatshield of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) for thermal protection during entry, descent and landing. The heatshield is a tiled system made of Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablators (PICA) blocks [1]. PICA is a lightweight carbon fiber/polymeric resin material that offers excellent performances for protecting probes during planetary entry. The Mars Entry Descent and Landing Instrument (MEDLI) suite on MSL offers unique in-flight validation data for models of atmospheric entry and material response. MEDLI recorded, among others, time-resolved in-depth temperature data of PICA using thermocouple sensors assembled in the MEDLI Integrated Sensor Plugs (MISP). The objective of this work is to compare the thermal response of the MSL heatshield to the MISP flight data. In preparation to Mars 2020 post-flight analysis, the predictive material response capability is benchmarked against MEDLI flight data.
Document ID
20190003886
Acquisition Source
Ames Research Center
Document Type
Poster
Authors
Meurisse, Jeremie B. E. (Science and Technology Corp. Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Monk, Joshua D. (Analytical Mechanics Associates, Inc. Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Borner, Arnaud (Science and Technology Corp. Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Ferguson, Joseph (Science and Technology Corp. Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Panerai, Francesco (Analytical Mechanics Associates, Inc. Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Mansour, Nagi N. (NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)