The
Simplified High Impact Energy Landing Device (SHIELD) is a lander concept being
tested at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It could one day provide a
new way for low-cost missions to land on Mars.
Rather
than rely on parachutes or retrorockets, SHIELD would include a collapsible,
accordion-like base to absorb the energy of a landing. A full-size prototype of
the base was tested on Aug. 12, 2022. The prototype was hurled at the ground
from the top of a nearly 90-foot-tall (27-meter-tall) drop tower at JPL. A
steel plate ensured the impact was even harder than what would be experienced
on Mars.
The design worked: After crushing against the steel plate at 110 mph (177 kph), several electronic components inside the SHIELD prototype, including a smartphone, survived the impact.
Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/California
Academy of Sciences
Source: NASA Tests Ways to Crash Land on Mars – NASA Mars Exploration
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