Post-flight Reconstruction for a Mars Ascent Vehicle

Abstract

As the design of a Mars Ascent Vehicle as part of the Mars Sample Return Campaign continues to mature, new focus is placed on the ability to reconstruct and validate the as-flown performance in post-flight analysis. This is increasingly important as the vehicle considers alternate design concepts that offer significant mass reductions at a cost of reduced onboard sensing capabilities. To understand architectural impacts to validate as-inserted vehicle conditions, the MAV team has assessed several options for capturing this data either on the vehicle or using external tracking options. This paper summarizes potential architectures, their associated performance, and integration challenges.