Forget iPhone durability tests, the NASA Mars Sample Return (MSR) Earth Entry System (EES) capsule survived a 1,200-foot drop from a helicopter. The agency used a Manufacturing Demonstration Unit (MDU), which is just one of many potential designs for the Earth Entry System. Its rugged aeroshell was equipped with a multitude of sensors and the dropped from a helicopter.
This drop test series is a followup to tests conducted last year at UTTR with a .75-meter, far less detailed Earth Entry System test unit. In comparison, the MDU is an actual full-scale vehicle that measures 1.25-meters (4.1-feet) across, with a structure made from materials similar to those that would be used for the EES during the actual mission. The MDU dropped from an altitude of 1,200 feet to figure out the time required to reach the intended landing speed. Surviving Simpson Strong Tie’s earthquake test is an entirely different story.
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The MDU was very stable during descent – it didn’t wobble around a lot, and it landed successfully, in the sense that there was no structural damage and it survived impact as expected,” said Jim Corliss, MSR EES chief engineer.
