22 Oct 2020
Instruments tailored to collect data during the descent of NASA's next rover through the Red Planet's atmosphere have been checked in flight.
On Oct. 8, 2020, with COVID-19 safety protocols in place, team members of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission waited for a reply from the Mars Entry, Descent, and Landing Instrumentation 2 (MEDLI2) suite onboard the spacecraft, which is currently en route to the Red Planet.
MEDLI2 is a collection of sensors that will measure aerothermal environments and thermal protection system material performance during the atmospheric entry phase of the Mars 2020 mission.
The sensors successfully passed a battery of environmental tests before being installed on the Mars 2020 heat shield and backshell to ensure they could withstand launch and the harsh conditions of space.
During the recent MEDLI2 cruise checkout, the team at the Flight Mission Support Center at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, received data back from the spacecraft for the first time since the rover launched in July.
"This is the first time MEDLI2 has been tested since before launch," said Henry Wright, MEDLI2 project manager. "The test went great; we got the data we wanted, and everything looks like we predicted it would."
The test ensured that sensors and electronics powered on successfully and pressure and temperature sensors were measuring as expected.
"With this verification that MEDLI2 survived launch and the cold of deep space, the team is excited to support the Perseverance rover's landing in February," Wright added.
MEDLI2 is a Game Changing Development project led by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate with support from the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate and Science Mission Directorate. The project is managed at Langley and implemented in partnership with NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
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MEDLI2 sensors are installed on the Mars 2020 heat shield and back shell prior that will protect NASA's Perseverance rover on its journey to the surface of Mars.