InSight Mars Lander Robotics Instrument Deployment System

The InSight Mars Lander is equipped with an Instrument Deployment System (IDS) and science payload with accompanying auxiliary peripherals mounted on the Lander. The InSight science payload includes a seismometer (SEIS) and Wind and Thermal Shield (WTS), heat flow probe (Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package, HP³) and a precision tracking system (RISE) to measure the size and state of the core, mantle and crust of Mars. The InSight flight system is a close copy of the Mars Phoenix Lander and comprises a Lander, cruise stage, heatshield and backshell. The IDS comprises an Instrument Deployment Arm (IDA), scoop, five finger “claw” grapple, motor controller, arm-mounted Instrument Deployment Camera (IDC), lander-mounted Instrument Context Camera (ICC), and control software. IDS is responsible for the first precision robotic instrument placement and release of SEIS and HP³ on a planetary surface that will enable scientists to perform the first comprehensive surface-based geophysical investigation of Mars’ interior structure. This paper describes the design and operations of the Instrument Deployment Systems (IDS), a critical subsystem of the InSight Mars Lander necessary to achieve the primary scientific goals of the mission including robotic arm geology and physical properties (soil mechanics) investigations at the Landing site. In addition, we present test results of flight IDS Verification and Validation activities including thermal characterization and InSight 2017 Assembly, Test, and Launch Operations (ATLO), Deployment Scenario Test at Lockheed Martin, Denver, where all the flight payloads were successfully deployed with a balloon gravity offload fixture to compensate for Mars to Earth gravity.     

Thermal behavior of an isolator with mode transition inducing back-pressure of a dual-mode scramjet

Combustion mode transition is a valuable and challenging research area in dual-mode scramjet engines. The thermal behavior of an isolator with mode transition inducing back-pressure is investigated by direct-connect dual-mode scramjet experiments and theoretical analysis. Combustion experiments are conducted under the incoming airflow conditions of total temperature 1270 K and Mach 2. A small increment of the fuel equivalence ratio is scheduled to trigger mode transition. Correspondingly, the variation of the coolant flow rate is very small. Based on the mea-sured wall pressures, the heat-transfer model can quantify the thermal state variation of the engine with active cooling. Compared with the combustor, mode transition has a greater effect on the iso-lator thermal behavior, and it significantly changes the isolator heat-flux and wall temperature. To further study the isolator thermal behavior from flight Mach 4 to Mach 7, a theoretical analysis is carried out. Around the critical point of combustion mode transition, sudden changes of the isola-tor flowfield and thermal state are discussed.