Abstract
Landing safely is the key to successful exploration of the solar system; the mitigation of the connected effects of collision in mechanical systems relies on the conversion of kinetic energy into heat or potential energy. An effective landing-system design should minimize the acceleration acting on the payload. In this paper, we focus on the application of a special class of nonlinear preloaded mechanisms, which take advantage of a variable radius drum (VRD) to produce a constant reactive force during deceleration. Static and dynamic models of the mechanism are presented. Numerical results show that the system allows for very efficient kinetic energy accumulation during impact, approaching the theoretical limit.
Highlights
Since the dawn of space exploration, agencies have striven to develop systems to achieve successful soft landings on other planets, moons, and asteroids
In order to allow a quantitative approach for the analysis of the landing system, we propose a synthesis methodology for the mechanism itself and a dynamical model to evaluate the behaviour in the relevant use-cases, i.e., landing and impact mitigation
From the extensive analysis presented in the previous sections and considering the results illustrated in Section 4.3, a complete analysis and critical review will be presented on the dynamic response of a landing system based on a Variable Radius Drum (VRD) mechanism
Summary
Since the dawn of space exploration, agencies have striven to develop systems to achieve successful soft landings on other planets, moons, and asteroids. Many examples are available [1,2]. In subsequent decades, landing has been an important field of study for automatic robotized missions. Some remarkable examples are those of the Mars rovers, starting with Mars. Exploration Rover A (MER A) and B in 2004 and with Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) in 2012. The MERs took advantage of a soft-landing mechanism based on the use of an array of large gas-filled airbags [3,4]. NASA—in a rather brave move—elected to fit MSL with a sky crane [5]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
