Penetration and performance testing of the HP³ Mole for the InSight Mars mission

During the development and the qualification of the Heat Flow Physical Properties Package (HP³) instrument (developed by the German Aerospace Center), which is part of the NASA Mars mission InSight, its self-propelling subsurface probe, the HP³ Mole was used in several penetration tests. Here, the performance of the Mole to reach the target depth, to avoid or overcome obstacles on its path, and its directional stability in the subsurface is elaborated. The different test beds and set ups are described and the results are presented. The deep penetration tests (DPT), with the purpose to reach the target depth, are the most important performance tests and therefore the results are investigated in more detail in section 2. Full functional tests (FFT), which showed the performance and degradation of the mechanism inside the Mole, are presented in section 3. Additional penetration and life cycle tests are described in section 4. The testing has demonstrated that the HP³ Mole meets all of its penetration requirements with margin

Investigation and development of a project plan for the REXUS/BEXUS near-space launch programme

REXUS/BEXUS is a near-space launch programme providing university students with the opportunity to fly their experiments aboard rockets and balloons. This is made possible through the joint efforts of SNSB, DLR Space Agency, SSC, DLR and ESA Education. Previously, although planning has occurred in tandem and by agreement with all the parties, no singular project plan document for the programme has been created. Although operating together under the EuroLaunch Cooperation Agreement for the organisation and management of the programme, SSC and DLR both created separate plans at the beginning of the current REXUS/BEXUS programme. In order to remedy the discrepancies between the separate project plans and how work has actually progressed, a joint EuroLaunch Project Plan is to be developed. Due to the complexity and scope of the project, certain topics in particular needed to be reviewed and developed. The requirements which were not explicitly defined previously were addressed by reviewing the previous documentation sources and establishing a set of requirements to which the programme must address. Due to the close cooperation, a decomposition of the work involved was conducted to a high level of detail so that responsibilities were clear. In order to manage all this data, a work breakdown visualization system was developed through which an extended task list database could be transformed into a large graphical representation of the project for tracking and further planning work. Analysis of scheduling requirements was conducted by looking at past progress and a simple schedule was created to address the needs of the programme. The EuroLaunch Project Plan for REXUS/BEXUS nears completion with the work presented here. There is some analysis and estimation that must be done outside of the scope of this thesis before it can go through a three phase review process to ensure that the project plan is a true representation of the programme.Validerat; 20101217 (root

Development of the Support System Used on the HP3 Instrument for Insight Mars Mission

An overview of the development and the qualification process of the Support System is presented. The relevant requirements, the mechanical design and the environmental testing are described. The mechanical design of the Support System is mainly driven by a new and unique set of requirements derived from the working environment on Mars, the autonomous mechanical operation on the surface and the deployment from the lander deck. The resulting relevant sub-system requirements are presented. Furthermore the instruments design is explained to show, which design elements have been implemented to ensure proper functionality. One major group of design elements, which is described in detail, are the various mechanisms. Details on the used actuators and their functionality are also presented. Various verification tests had to be performed in the course of HP3 Support System development. Besides the standard thermal-vacuum and vibration tests, special tests have been executed to show compliance of the instrument design to the requirements. These tests are: Separation Tests from the lander deck in cold environment and under various tilting angles, Tether Deployment Tests, under various temperatures, foldings and routings, Feet Sliding Resistance Tests, which determine the motion of the instrument in sand under inclined conditions on the Martian surface. The test setups and the results will be shown

REXUS/BEXUS ALUMNI - LOOKING AT THE LONG-TERM PERSONAL BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATION IN A PRACTICAL STUDENT PROGRAMME

After six rocket and six balloon launches, many students have successfully completed their involvement in the current format of the REXUS/BEXUS programme. It is both interesting and beneficial to look back now at how being involved in a practical student programme has affected their lives. The specific combination of traditional, open, and augmented learning environments that are a part of the programme is an opportunity afforded to few university students. Collecting information from students that have completed their participation and are now progressing with their professional careers presents the opportunity to both look at what they have taken from the programme and to understand a little about how it has affected their options post-REXUS/BEXUS. This information has been taken via simple survey which has shown relatively good results for the programme. It is difficult to truly determine the full extent of this influence, nonetheless, this knowledge can still be used to build upon those past experiences and endeavour to improve the programme from this feedback

REXUS/BEXUS ALUMNI - LOOKING AT THE LONG-TERM PERSONAL BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATION IN A PRACTICAL STUDENT PROGRAMME

After six rocket and six balloon launches, many students have successfully completed their involvement in the current format of the REXUS/BEXUS programme. It is both interesting and beneficial to look back now at how being involved in a practical student programme has affected their lives. The specific combination of traditional, open, and augmented learning environments that are a part of the programme is an opportunity afforded to few university students. Collecting information from students that have completed their participation and are now progressing with their professional careers presents the opportunity to both look at what they have taken from the programme and to understand a little about how it has affected their options post-REXUS/BEXUS. This information has been taken via simple survey which has shown relatively good results for the programme. It is difficult to truly determine the full extent of this influence, nonetheless, this knowledge can still be used to build upon those past experiences and endeavour to improve the programme from this feedback

HP3 Instrument Support System Structure development for the NASA/JPL Mars Mission InSight

On May 05, 2018 NASA JPL launched its mission to Mars called “InSight”. Main objective of this mission is to gain more knowledge about the evolution of terrestrial planets and to more precisely determine properties of core, mantle and crust of Mars. One of a number of different scientific instruments onboard the lander there will be HP3 (Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package), which was developed by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). It will be operated on Martian ground to measure the heat flow through the Martian outer crust. It uses a hammering mechanism which will pull a tether approx. 5 m into the soil. The hammering device is equipped with foil heaters on the outer hull and the tether is equipped with temperature elements. Both is needed for the determination of the thermal conductivity of the surrounding regolith and the measurement of the temperature gradients in the ground. There is the need of a separate system to be able to perform those activities on the surface. This system is called the “HP3 Support System”. Its main task is to ensure a stable, nearly perpendicular position of the hammering mechanism relative to the soil on the Martian surface before initial penetration. It furthermore houses the instruments for length measurement and serves as electrical connection to the lander. The paper will give an overview of the development and the qualification of the structure of the Support System. It will focus on the mechanical design, the analysis of the structural dynamics but in particular on the testing which includes standard environmental testing but also numerous development tests that are very mission specific. The mechanical design of the Support System is mainly driven by a unique set of requirements derived from the working environment on Mars, the deployment from the lander deck and the mechanically separated operation on the surface. The instrument design will be explained to show, which design elements were implemented to ensure proper functionality. Various development tests had to be performed during the Support System structure development. Besides the standard qualification tests, special tests were developed to show compliance of the instrument design to the requirements. Such tests are: Separation Tests from the lander deck in cold environment under various tilt angles, Tether Deployment Tests, under various temperatures, foldings and routings, Feet Sliding Resistance Tests on sand with different slopes. The paper will give an overview on all tests necessary for the support system qualification and will describe test setups and the results

Structure Development of the HP3 Instrument Support System for the Mars Mission InSight

On May 05, 2018 NASA JPL launched its mission to Mars called “InSight”. Main objective of this mission is to gain more knowledge of the evolution of terrestrial planets. Beside a number of different scientific instruments onboard the lander there are two instruments that will perform measurements on the Martian ground. One of the instruments is HP3 (Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package), which was developed by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) to measure the heat flow of the Martian outer crust. It uses a hammering mechanism equipped with heating foils on the outer hull to pull a tether approx. 5 m into the soil. The tether is equipped with temperature elements for the determination of temperature gradients in the ground. There is the need of a separate system to be able to perform those activities on the surface. This system is called the “HP3 Support System”. Its main task is to ensure a stable, nearly perpendicular position of the hammering mechanism relative to the soil on the Martian surface before initial penetration. It furthermore houses the instruments for length measurement and serves as electrical connection to the lander. The paper will give an overview of the development and the qualification of the structure of the Support System. It will focus on the mechanical design, the analysis of the structural dynamics but in particular on the testing which includes standard environmental testing but also numerous development tests that are very mission specific. The mechanical design of the Support System is mainly driven by a unique set of requirements derived from the working environment on Mars, the deployment from the lander deck and the mechanically separated operation on the surface. The instrument design will be explained to show which design elements were implemented to ensure proper functionality. Various development tests had to be performed during the Support System structure development. Besides the standard qualification tests, special qualification tests were developed to show compliance of the instrument design to the requirements. Such tests are: Separation Tests from the lander deck in cold environment under various tilt angles, Tether Deployment Tests, under various temperatures, foldings and routings, Feet Sliding Resistance Tests on sand with different slopes and the “Cold Drop and Dig test”, which covers the initial hammering phase of the Mole. The paper will give an overview on all tests necessary for the support system qualification and will describe test setups and the results

Structure development of the HP3 instrument Support System for the Mars mission InSight

On May 05, 2018 NASA JPL launched its mission to Mars called “InSight”. Main objective of this mission is to gain more knowledge of the evolution of terrestrial planets. Beside a number of different scientific instruments onboard the lander there are two instruments that will perform measurements on the Martian ground. One of the instruments is HP3 (Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package), which was developed by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) to measure the heat flow of the Martian outer crust. Main elements of this instrument are the heat flow probe, the Backend Electronic and the Support System. With this paper the authors give a detailed insight of the function of the Support System within the instrument and its development. The Support System enables the operation of the heat flow probe on the surface. The mechanical design of the Support System is mainly driven by a unique set of requirements derived from the working environment on Mars, the deployment from the lander deck, and the mechanically separated operation on the surface. The paper will give an overview of the development and the qualification of the structure of the Support System. It will focus on the mechanical design and the analysis of the structural dynamics, and on the testing which includes standard environmental testing but also numerous development tests that are very mission specific

NEW DEMISE TECHNOLOGY CONCEPTS OF SPACECRAFT STRUCTURAL JOINTS

The recently introduced discipline of Design for Demise aims to promote the atmospheric demise of a spacecraft and its respective components during re-entry, to reduce the casualty risk on ground. An earlier opening of spacecraft outer structure improves the overall atmospheric demise of subsystems, units, and components. New technical solutions are therefore needed to achieve a targeted opening / release of external structural components and spacecraft modules. Currently used materials and joining techniques have been investigated within high enthalpy wind tunnel and static heat chamber tests, to better understand the processes at play during their demise. Under consideration of the different failure scenarios observed during testing, the subsequent breadboard testing focused on passively activated demisable joining technologies. Technical design considerations were combined with their potential effects on e.g., the reliability of demise, mechanical performance, system impact, scalability, and potential costs. Based on an elaborated trade-off system various joining concepts then underwent a range of tests in a wind tunnel and re-entry chamber. Testing compared the demise ability with the current state-of-the-art technology and assessed their demise performance. Based on the results the appropriate utilisation of demise technology, can improve the demise of any given spacecraft and by association, reduce the casualty risk on the ground