Citation
Abstract
This article discusses the analysis of the UHF communications blackout (and brownout) experienced by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) during the period around peak heating of its entry, descent, and landing (EDL) phase into the Martian atmosphere on August 6, 2012. The UHF relay links from MSL to the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and to the Mars Express (MEX) suffered a period of ~70 s of degradation, consisting of a combination of brownout (signal fades) and blackout (complete loss of signal) that coincided with the predicted period of signal degradation from preflight analyses. The observed signal fades and outages on both signal links spanned the interval from ~30 s to ~95 s after entry at the atmospheric interface. This article discusses both predictions and measurements of signal degradation that occurred during the peak heating phase of the MSL EDL.
Details
- Volume
- 42-197
- Published
- May 15, 2014
- Pages
- 1–22
- File Size
- 2.5 MB