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The UK-built Rosalind Franklin rover is one step closer to landing on the surface of the Red Planet after parachute tests in the Oregon desert proved a success.
A pair of parachutes, each 115 feet in diameter, will be used to slow the UK’s first Mars rover landing on the Red Planet in 2023.
This was a large-scale, high-altitude drop test of the parachute, which fell 18 miles above the Oregon desert and “worked as expected,” according to the team.
The rover was supposed to be launched earlier this year, along with missions from the US, China and UAE, but test delays due to coronavirus restrictions have led the European Space Agency to postpone the launch.
There are still more tests to be completed before the new launch date in September 2022 which would see the rover arrive on Mars in early 2023, but this is an “ important milestone ”.
To test the parachute on Earth it is necessary to drop it from a very high altitude to replicate as closely as possible the conditions it will experience on the Red Planet
There are still more tests to be completed before the new launch date in September 2022 which would see the rover arrive on Mars in early 2023 but this is an important milestone.
Rosalind Franklin is one of three Martian rovers traveling to the Red Planet or arriving in the next couple of years – the others being NASA’s Perseverance and China’s Tianwen-1 – both launched this summer and expected to arrive in February 2021.
Once Rosalind Franklin reaches Mars in 2023, a six-minute sequence will see a descent module deploy two parachutes to quickly slow it down before it lands.
Atmospheric drag will slow the module from approximately 13,048 mph to 1,056 mph – at which point the first parachute will be deployed – then 20 seconds later at 248 mph the second parachute will open.
When the module is just over half a mile above the ground, the brake motors engage and transport it safely to the surface of the planet.
This was a large-scale, high-altitude drop test of parachutes, which fell 18 miles above the desert in Oregon and “ worked as expected, ” according to the team.
A replica ‘lander’ was launched from 18 miles over the desert in Oregon as part of testing to see if the parachutes would deploy in the correct sequence.
The complete parachute descent system needs testing and verification on Earth to ensure everything runs smoothly, but can only be performed via high-altitude drop tests to replicate the conditions of Mars’ low atmospheric pressure.
On November 9, a team of scientists tested the system over Oregon by sending a vehicle 18 miles using a stratospheric balloon, then dropping it.
The tests went as the mission scientists expected, with the test vehicle landing safely and the parachutes recovered.
There was minor damage to the glider on the two parachutes, which occurred at the start of inflation, but that would not have been a problem for the current mission.
Rosalind Franklin – a joint Europe and Russia mission – is expected to launch in 2022 and the mission will attempt to detect life, past or present, on Mars.
The completion of the parachute test marks a key milestone for the rover, which was built in Stevenage by Airbus, and the team will now analyze the test data to determine further improvements for upcoming tests.
The team leader of the ExoMars program, Francois Spoto, said: “Landing on Mars is extremely difficult, with no possibility of error”, adding that this was a good step forward.
Once Rosalind Franklin reaches Mars in 2023, a six-minute sequence will see a descent module deploy two parachutes to quickly slow it down before it lands.
The rover was supposed to be launched earlier this year – along with missions from the US, China and UAE – but delays with testing due to coronavirus restrictions have led the European Space Agency to postpone the launch.
The parachute is 115 feet wide, made from a fully unfolded nylon fabric it will extend up to nearly 300 feet between the top of the parachute and the lander – the slide will be “ dragged out of its bag ” more than 100 miles away. ‘Now.
This is why getting it right on Earth is so important: it’s not something that can be “fixed” if it goes wrong 90 million miles away on Mars.
Spoto said that although the latest tests were a success, it was still not the “perfect result” they were hoping for, so he will continue to tweak and test.
European Space Agency ExoMars rover prepares to leave Airbus in Stevenage (Aaron Chown / PA)
“Therefore, we will use the extensive test data we have acquired to refine our approach, plan further tests and stay on track for our launch in September 2022.”
The British company Vorticity Ltd is a technical consultant for the parachute system and is responsible for the high-altitude drop tests of the parachutes.
He designed and manufactured the parachute test vehicles and then performed the test together with their US subcontractor, Near Space Corporation.
John Underwood, principal engineer of Vorticity, said, “This is an extremely demanding program involving the development of the largest parachute ever sent to Mars.
“Huge improvements have been made to the system after last year’s testing and we are confident that the latest issues will be resolved before the mission launches.”
Sue Horne, Head of Space Exploration at the British Space Agency, said Mars has been the subject of our fascination and speculation throughout recorded history.
He added that “the missions to the Red Planet are not easy”.
“A total of 20 probes, from countries and agencies around the world, have all had their share of accidents on the journey to the red planet.
“They crashed on take-off, they crashed on landing, they lost power.
“Parachute testing is critical to help us get the technology exactly right and make sure the Rosalind Franklin rover makes its journey with the best and most reliable equipment possible.”
Britain’s last major Martian lander, Beagle 2, landed safely on the Red Planet but its solar panels failed to deploy, blocking its ability to communicate with Earth.
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