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The Evolution of Lunar and Martian Landing Technologies at NASA Langley

Successfully landing on celestial bodies like the Moon or Mars marks a significant benchmark in space exploration. Since its inception, NASA’s Langley Research Center has played a crucial role in developing the research and technologies necessary for the entry, descent, and landing (EDL) processes that are now integral to current and future exploratory missions. As NASA prepares for voyages that extend beyond our Moon, the contributions from Langley continue to shape the landscape of space travel.

The journey began with Project Mercury, the United States’ inaugural human spaceflight initiative overseen by the Space Task Group at NASA Langley. This pioneering program included various essential studies:

• Airdrop studies that evaluated the Mercury capsule’s returning dynamics.
• Investigations into escape systems that ultimately evolved into the launch abort system.
• Thorough wind-tunnel tests to assess the aerodynamic stability and reentry characteristics of the blunt-nosed capsule.
• Research focusing on impact landings which led to shock-absorbing innovations designed to protect astronauts during landing.
• Examinations of drogue parachutes to ensure they could slow the capsule’s descent effectively at high altitudes and speeds.

This foundational research proved invaluable for subsequent programs such as Gemini and Apollo.

In 1961, in response to a challenge set forth by President John F. Kennedy to land Americans on the Moon, NASA launched the Apollo program. Following rigorous preparations, the team of astronauts trained at Langley’s Lunar Landing Research Facility (LLRF) and, in 1969, they achieved a momentous feat by successfully landing on the Moon with Apollo 11, marking a significant victory for NASA Langley’s research endeavors.

Before the Apollo missions, the Lunar Orbiter missions from 1966 to 1967 aimed to map the Moon’s surface and pinpoint potential landing sites. Langley Research Center managed five such missions, resulting in comprehensive photographic documentation of the lunar surface, which was essential for Apollo’s planning and execution.

Following the Apollo triumphs, NASA turned its ambitions further outward, setting its sights on Mars. Viking missions represented NASA’s first attempts to deploy landers on the Martian terrain, capturing detailed images to aid in the ongoing search for extraterrestrial life. The Langley Research Center led these groundbreaking missions, establishing itself as a key player in Mars exploration.

Success on Mars spurred aspirations for even larger payloads, necessitating advancements in landing technology. The introduction of the Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) technology promised new solutions for safely landing vast payloads. This approach utilized inflatable heat shields capable of mitigating the challenges of high-speed atmospheric entry.

IRVE – 2009-2012

Between 2009 and 2012, two Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiments (IRVE) demonstrated the viability of inflatable heat shield technology, paving the way for larger-scale applications.

LOFTID – 2022

Following IRVE, the 2022 Low Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) showcased a new, larger aeroshell design, validating the capabilities of HIAD technologies yet further.

Within the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, Langley’s Mars Entry, Descent and Landing Instrument (MEDLI) collected critical data on the heatshield performance during MSL’s descent onto Mars. The enhanced MEDLI2 continued this vital data collection during the Mars 2020 mission, contributing to the safe landing of the Perseverance rover and informing future designs for EDL systems.

Curiosity Rover

Launched in 2011, the Curiosity rover represented a new pinnacle in Martian exploration as the largest and most sophisticated rover to date. Leading up to its launch, Langley engineers conducted millions of simulations simulating the high-stakes “Seven Minutes of Terror” during reentry and landing. Curiosity’s ongoing mission involves searching for evidence that Mars may have once harbored conditions favorable for life.

The Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative enhances the Artemis program by collaborating with commercial entities to further develop the technologies necessary for returning humans to the Moon and ultimately extending exploration to Mars.

NDL

One notable advancement emerging from Langley is the Navigation Doppler Lidar (NDL) system, which employs laser technology for precise altitude and velocity measurements to identify safe landing sites. In 2024, NDL will be integrated into Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C uncrewed lander, offering improvements over traditional radar technologies by providing higher accuracy and weight efficiency, thus making it a pivotal asset for future planetary missions.

SCALPSS

Continuing the legacy of lunar exploration, the Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume Surface Studies (SCALPSS) aim to gather data on interactions between rocket exhaust and the lunar surface. The first of its kind, the SCALPSS 1.1 instrument captured images of the landing plumes from Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander, providing essential information as lunar landings become more frequent in the years ahead.

Source
www.nasa.gov