Low-Pressure Testing of the Mars Science Laboratory’s Solid Sampling System: Test Methods and Preliminary Results

Details Low-Pressure Testing of the Mars Science Laboratory’s Solid Sampling System: Test Methods and Preliminary Results Low-Pressure Testing of the Mars Science Laboratory’s Solid Sampling System: Test Methods and Preliminary Results

Dec 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009agufm.p43a1419m&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2009, abstract #P43A-1419

Computer Science

Performance

[5494] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Instruments And Techniques

Scientific paper

The Mars Science Laboratory mission is scheduled to launch in 2011 with an extensive suite of in situ science instruments. Acquiring, processing and delivering appropriate samples of rock and martian regolith to the instruments is a critical component in realizing the science capability of these payload elements. However, there are a number of challenges in validating the design of these systems. In particular, differences in the environment (atmospheric pressure and composition, temperature, gravity), target materials (variation in rock and soil properties), and state of the hardware (electrical potential, particulate coatings) may effect sampling performance. To better understand the end-to-end system and allow development of mitigation strategies if necessary, early testing of high-fidelity engineering models of the hardware in the solid sample chain is being conducted. The components of the sample acquisition, processing & delivery chain that will be tested are the drill, scoop, sieves, portioners, and instrument inlet funnels. An evaluation of the environmental parameter space was conducted to identify a subset that may have significant effects on sampling performance and cannot be well bounded by analysis. Accordingly, support equipment to enable testing at Mars surface pressures (5-10 Torr), with carbon dioxide was designed and built. A description of the testing set-up, investigations, and preliminary results will be presented.

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