Testing Mars Sample Return: Finding the Right Footpad Size for the Sample Retrieval Lander

The first leg of Mars Sample Return is underway, as Perseverance collects rock cores and other Mars samples at its landing site, Jezero Crater. Meanwhile on Earth, mission teams are optimizing the designs of the follow-on spacecraft that would retrieve these rock samples and bring them to Earth.

In this video, engineers use a special testing rig to focus on the full-scale footpad for the Sample Retrieval Lander. Finding the right size and characteristics for the lander footpads is critical to a safe touchdown. This lander would also serve as a launch platform for the Mars Ascent Vehicle rocket, which would carry the Mars samples collected by the Perseverance rover. The lander legs and footpad need to absorb the impact of the heaviest spacecraft (5,016 pounds or 2,275 kilograms) to touch down on the Red Planet.

Considered one of the highest priorities by the scientists in the Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032, Mars Sample Return would be the first mission to return samples from another planet and provides the best and nearest opportunity to reveal the evolution of planets, life’s beginning in the solar system and the potential for ancient life. NASA is teaming with ESA (European Space Agency) on this important endeavor.

Animation is contributed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the European Space Agency, Goddard Space Flight Center, and Marshall Space Flight Center.

Learn more about Mars Sample Return: https://mars.nasa.gov/msr

Learn more about the Sample Retrieval Lander: https://mars.nasa.gov/msr/spacecraft/sample-retrieval-lander/

TRANSCRIPT

3, 2, 1

[music]

TESTING MARS SAMPLE RETURN
SRL: SAMPLE RETRIEVAL LANDER - FINDING THE RIGHT FOOTPAD SIZE

PATRICK DEGROSSE JR.
MECHANICAL ENGINEER

Patrick DeGrosse Jr.: At the highest level, this test bed's objective is to ensure vehicle safety during the touchdown event and also to ensure that we have a stable platform later on in the mission for launching the rocket. We're able to vary impact energy and velocity and the way we do that in practice is by changing the amount of weights that we have on our pendulum and how high we lift the pendulum.

We use this data to inform the size of the footpad that we're planning to use in flight. We're trying to find the smallest footpad that does the job. 3, 2, 1, fire.

This is the first prototype that has a swiveling element to it. We're just going to be maturing those designs going forward and just getting more and more flight-like.

For more information on bringing Mars rocks to Earth: mars.nasa.gov/msr