13th District - Mars Rover
With sites in Cleveland and near Sandusky, the Glenn Research Center is part of a nationwide network of NASA research faciltiies. NASA Glenn's work contributed to several vital systems used in the Mars rover mission.
| Sidebar: Senator John Glenn |
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| John Glenn, of Cambridge, Ohio, served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II, earning six Distinguished Flying Cross citations and the rank of Colonel. He joined NASA after the war and, in 1962, became the first American to orbit the Earth. After leaving NASA, John Glenn won election to the United States Senate and served Ohio as Senator until 1999. In 1998, Senator Glenn returned to space onboard NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery. |
Senator Glenn's NASA Biography
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Specialized Airbags
The Mars Rover spacecraft took about seven months to make the 300 million mile journey to Earth's closest planetary neighbor. They entered the Martian atmosphere at about 12,000 miles per hour (at that speed, you could travel around the Earth in just over 2 hours) and needed to slow down fast during their six-minute trip to the surface.
The Rover lander spacecraft slowed their descent using a combination of tools, including a parachute and a set of "retro" (backward-firing) rockets. A few seconds before reaching the surface, the landers inflated a set of special airbags designed to protect the Rover vehicles during impact. Cushioned in their airbag shells, the Rovers hit the Martian surface, bounced as high as a five-story building, and came to rest as much as a half-mile from the point of first impact.
The airbag systems were rigorously tested by NASA scientists at Ohio's Glenn Research Center. The Glenn Center's Space Power Facility, near Sandusky, Ohio, is home to the world's largest vacuum chamber, which allowed NASA scientists to simulate the atmosphere and climate of Mars. To ensure that the Rovers would be protected from almost any hazard, they conducted more than 50 drop tests using both natural and simulated rocks similar to those found on Mars.
The images below show the Mars Rovers' airbags at work:
Mars Rover's landers used a combination of parachutes, rockets, and airbags to ensure a safe landing |
Airbags tested in Ohio protected the Rover from a jarring landing on Mars |
The aibags deflated a few seconds after the Rover came to rest |
Solar Cells
 The Mars Rovers are powered by a set of solar cells that convert energy from the sun to electricity. But because the atmosphere near the Martian surface is dusty, scientists are concerned that the accumulation of dust on the solar cells could reduce the Rovers' power supply. Scientists from Ohio's Glenn Research Center have been studying this problem to determine how much dust will have to accumulate on the Mars Rovers' solar cells before power generation is affected. The results of their work will help NASA to build better power systems for future missions.
Static Discharges
 The Mars Rovers depend on an array of antennas to communicate with NASA controllers on Earth. The Rovers' receive their instructions through their antennas and use their antennas to transmit the images we see. Scientists are concerned that, as the Rovers' wheels roll over the dry, dusty surface of Mars, the vehicles will gradually develop static electricity charges (like the shock you sometimes get walking across a rug or carpet). If a large enough charge were to develop, the resulting shock could damage the antennas' sensitive electronics. Scientists from Ohio's Glenn Research Center developed special devices for the Mars Rovers' antenna systems that act like tiny lightning rods, safely discharging static electricity before it can cause harm.
Learn More
To learn more about the Mars Exploration Rover missions and Ohio's contributions to the program, visit the links below:
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