meetings - Space Flight Mechanics Committee

on a planetary body. The Descent Stage Propulsion System (DSPS) played an integral and
critical role during Curiosity’s EDL. The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of
the design and development of the MSL DSPS. Driving requirements, system design,
component selection, new developments, and key challenges will be discussed.
14:50 AAS Lessons Learned from the Development of the MSL Descent Stage Propulsion
13-457 System
Carl Guernsey, NASA / Caltech JPL; Jeffrey Weiss, NASA / Caltech JPL
15:10 Break
Development of the MSL descent stage propulsion system required a number of new
propulsion hardware developments incorporating technologies not normally found in
spacecraft propulsion subsystems. These requirements were driven by the relatively high
(25,000 N) thrust level and the requirement for precise throttling of the main engine. This
paper presents lessons learned in the course of these developments, including surprises and
anomalies discovered at the subsystem level as well as the component level.
15:35 AAS Fabrication, Assembly & Test of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Descent
13-461 Stage Propulsion System.
Morgan Parker, NASA / Caltech JPL; Raymond Baker, NASA / Caltech JPL; Art
Casillas, NASA / Caltech JPL; Dellon Strommen, NASA / Caltech JPL; Rebekah
Tanimoto, NASA / Caltech JPL
The MSL Descent Stage Propulsion System (DSPS) guided the rover Curiosity through the
Martian atmosphere and and landed Curiosity safely on the surface of Mars. The DSPS is
the most challenging and complex propulsion system ever built at JPL. This paper will
examine challenges and solutions encountered during the fabrication, assembly, and test of
the DSPS, including the distributed and cramped nature of the configuration, 7 different
tubing sizes ranging from 0.25” up to 1.25” O.D, 46 unique weld schedules and over 300
tubing welds, shorting of structural loads through the larger tubing, and numerous other
challenges.
15:55 AAS MSL Descent Stage Integrated Propulsion Subsystem: Development and
13-462 Flight Performance
Art Casillas, NASA / Caltech JPL; Raymond Baker, NASA / Caltech JPL
The need to precisely, softly, and reliably deliver a “laboratory on wheels” on the surface of
Mars imposed unique requirements on each of the two nearly independent propulsion
subsystems housed within the MSL Descent Stage: the Reaction Control (for Guided Entry)
and the Mars Lander Engine (for Powered Descent) systems. This paper describes the
driving requirements and associated challenges, the test program executed to validate the
corresponding design solutions, and the actual flight performance of these systems as
delivered on August 6, 2012. Concluding remarks emphasize key lessons-learned that may
well benefit future lander missions, especially large-scale.
23 rd AAS / AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Meeting Page 89