Testing NASA's Mars Lander's Legs: A Crucial Step in Space Exploration
NASA engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory are testing the legs and footpads of a prototype lander for the Mars Sample Return campaign, which aims to bring rock core samples back from Mars to be studied on Earth. The lander, which would be the heaviest spacecraft to land on Mars, needs sturdy legs to absorb the impact of touchdown. Engineers conducted drop tests to measure how the legs and footpads absorb shock, including tests with a scaled-down model and a full-size footpad plunged into simulated Martian soil. The data from these tests will inform the design of the lander.
