Forgot your password?
Political Task Force
~ 
~ 
Space Frontier Foundation - Mars Headquarters
Comparing NASA and ESA Cost Estimating Methods for Human Missions to Mars
An RLV/ Shuttle Compatible Habitation System
Jardin, M. R.1 (1999)
Conceptual Design of a Guidance and Navigation System for a Mars Airplane
Document Actions
In: On to Mars, Colonizing a New World, edited by Zubrin, RM, and Crossman, F. Apogee Books.
In March and April of 1999, researchers within the Aeronautics Directorate at NASA Ames Research Center performed a feasibility study for a small autonomous airplane mission to the Valles Marineris region of Mars. The flight was to occur on Dec. 17th, 2003, the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first flight. The combined airplane and entry heat shield were to fit within a volume of approximately ten cubic meters and the airplane was to have a mass on the order of 10 kg. The conceptual design was to be developed without relying on systems from other Mars missions. This paper describes the guidance and navigation concept developed for the study. The guidance and navigation concept is to place the aircraft delivery error ellipse along a relatively straight section of canyon wall so that the aircraft can be guided to the wall by following a constant heading angle. A low-range (10 km) radar sensor is used to detect the canyon wall and the height above ground level so that when the aircraft comes within a selected range of the wall and ground (500 m to 1 km), the guidance algorithm is switched to a wall and altitude tracking mode. Complete or partial attitude determination for the plane is made by taking advantage of aircraft dynamic stability to obtain the vertical direction vector and to use a second non-parallel direction finding device (e.g. sun sensor) to obtain a second direction vector so that heading and, in some cases, position may be determined. Inertial navigation sensors are employed to complement the attitude determination sensors. An analysis of the airplane approach to the canyon wall has been performed to ensure that the proposed radar sensor range is adequate given the mission constraints.
1 - Automation Concepts Research Branch (AFC), NASA Ames Research Center email or homepage
Mars Mission Planning and Engineering
Become a Mars Society Member to access the full content
University Rover Challenge Indication of Participation Deadline
Letter By Robert Zubrin Published In Today's New York Times
