After more than eight months of space travel, the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft carrying the $2.5 billion, 2,000-pound Curiosity rover is nearly ready to touch down on the red planet. Hundreds of CAE man-hours helped simulate, optimize, and validate the mission in the digital world, but the moment of truth for the rover and spacecraft design will be the final landing, which is slated for 10:31 p.m. PT on Sunday, Aug. 5.
The Curiosity, with its six vehicle configurations, 76 pyrotechnic devices, and 500,000 lines of software code (among other innovations), has been called the most sophisticated rover ever sent to Mars by its maker, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). A critical component of the rover's ongoing development has been a partnership between Siemens PLM Software and the JPL. Siemens' Teamcenter PLM software and its NX CAD and NX CAE tools were used to design and simulate the rover digitally before any physical prototypes were built and to ensure all components would fit together, operate properly, and withstand their environment.
Siemens PLM Software's CAD, CAE, and PLM tools played a pivotal role in the design of the Curiosity rover, which is slated to touch down on Mars at 10:31 p.m. PT on Sunday, Aug. 5. (Source: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
"NASA's JPL has employed the latest in software technology to design the Mars rover to withstand the impossible extremes of launch, space travel, atmospheric reentry, and landing a 2,000-pound operational vehicle on the surface of Mars," Doug McCuistion, director of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, said in a press release and at a press conference at the recent Farnborough Air Show.
One of the biggest design challenges in the Curiosity mission was the Mars landing -- a feat NASA is billing as "Curiosity's Seven Minutes of Terror." It will take seven minutes for the rover to travel from the top of the atmosphere down to the surface of Mars, but it takes 14 minutes for a signal from the spacecraft to reach mission control, so there will be a period when the ground crew will be completely in the dark about its status.
I think it's great that NASA is getting good press again and, of course, doing stuff to deserve it. I guess I think of that as a positive image for science and space exploration, but not as political.
I didn't want to turn it into a political hot potato, but on a related note, it seems that NASA and the space program in general is enjoying a big resurgence thanks to this successful landing. I read some really uplifting accounts of the years of work and then there's "Mohawk guy," the real-life Bobak Ferdowski, among those at the helm of mission control for the Curiosity landing and the new breed of NASA engineer who's quite a bit different than the suits of the past. Ferdowski is now an Internet darling and is widely being credited with helping make space exploration and STEM education "cool."
FYI: Statement by the President on Curiosity Landing on Mars
(Taken from NASA Web site: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/news/obama_statement_curiosity.html)
I thought it was a pretty ringing endorsement of the work that NASA has accomplished. Just saying....
Tonight, on the planet Mars, the United States of America made history.
The successful landing of Curiosity – the most sophisticated roving laboratory ever to land on another planet – marks an unprecedented feat of technology that will stand as a point of national pride far into the future. It proves that even the longest of odds are no match for our unique blend of ingenuity and determination.
Tonight's success, delivered by NASA, parallels our major steps forward towards a vision for a new partnership with American companies to send American astronauts into space on American spacecraft. That partnership will save taxpayer dollars while allowing NASA to do what it has always done best – push the very boundaries of human knowledge. And tonight's success reminds us that our preeminence – not just in space, but here on Earth – depends on continuing to invest wisely in the innovation, technology, and basic research that has always made our economy the envy of the world.
I congratulate and thank all the men and women of NASA who made this remarkable accomplishment a reality – and I eagerly await what Curiosity has yet to discover.
YES!! The design, the model, the testing, and the actual hardware appear to be validated. Great work from a team of great minds. I am really impressed that a scheme as complex as this one worked so well. There were quite a few places where being foo just a bit would cause a failure, but it seems that everything worked as planned.
Now they have something more to brag about. Right On.
Looks like they made it! Sincere Congratulations to NASA, (in light of the hollow acknowledgment from the President). Article indicates they still want to take (up to several weeks) of test evaluations before they actually embark on the terrestrial journey. See: http://news.yahoo.com/mars-rover-curiosity-nears-break-landing-attempt-002742981.html
@Dave: I know. The model was valid and the mission a success so far. Apparently, from reports I've read, there was lots of nail biting during that seven-minute silence, but the rover's somewhat outlandish design proved to be what was required for such extreme circumstances.
J-Allen, I agree completely and you are correct in that my origional statement was definitely not worded to indicate the basic issues we have as a country. I should have done better up front. I worry that, as a country, we have lost interest in those STEM courses that you and I "grew up on". I was absolutely amazed at the level of competence relative to our space program in those early years. Now, we seem to be comfortable in letting others take the lead. I think it all goes back to the level of prepardness at the secondary level. Over the years I have done work with several universities and have gotten to know professors overseeing projects. They indicate to me that the number of remedial courses necessary for in-coming freshmen have increased significantly due to necessary. More and more freshmen simply can't do the work at the university level. Your viewpoint is definitely a valid one. Many thanks..Bob J.
This is when we find out if the simulation madel was correct. That will either demonstrate the validity of thye methyod, or the incompleteness of the model. We shall see what happens.
The 3D printing revolution seems to have a knack for quickly moving technology ahead by way of collaborative effort and even a little friendly competition -- all of course in the name of scientific advancement.
Laura Sapiens' Ego! Smartmouse offers users a unique interactive experience by providing 2D and 3D connectivity, hardware identity authentication, data storage, and more.
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