Comments on: More parachute problems for Europe’s Franklin Mars rover

By: Lee Stevenson

Lee Stevenson — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 13:41:11 +0000

@Edward42, an interesting tangent! I would have imagined that doors on a vacuum chamber would self seal… I am intrigued! Would you be willing to share more information?

By: Edward42

Edward42 — Mon, 05 Jul 2021 19:39:00 +0000

Pride may be preventing the ESA team from easily accepting shared experiences, but I think that the real problem stems from the fact that parachute technology is not as well understood as most people believe. ExoMars is using a new design, and the tried and true methods have not worked out as well as expected.

This is why there is such extensive testing and so much trouble with new parachute designs (even on Starliner) but not as extensive testing or trouble with, for instance, new pressure vessel designs. (Even pressure vessels can be problematic. I have worked with a couple of vacuum chambers that needed C-clamps to hold the doors closed during initial pump down.)

By: Lee Stevenson

Lee Stevenson — Mon, 05 Jul 2021 13:44:35 +0000

@Ray Van Dune, I have no doubt you are correct on the first point. As I have mentioned here before, I remember seeing a TV program, well over a decade ago, when Steve Squires went and had a look at the Exomars rover being built, and asked if he had any advice, he said 6 wheel steering had got spirit and opportunity out of many a sticky situation. The Exomars rover still has only front and back steering wheels. The middle set are fixed…. I guess time will tell who was right, but I won’t bet against Steve.

As to your second point, surely shared experience is beneficial to all? Not just to share technology, but to share the research behind it. I don’t mean to make light of what is a genuinely difficult problem, but the US has landing on Mars nailed… Why doesn’t the ESA ask the US to design and build a parachute for them? We could even send you some genuinely tasty cheese and wine in return! ;-)

By: Ray Van Dune

Ray Van Dune — Sun, 04 Jul 2021 14:53:31 +0000

I appreciate Lee Stevenson’s concern, but there are two factors that mitigate sharing expertise:
1. Pride
2. The real factor that the development experience gained is a significant benefit of designing and testing a née system, regardless of the system-specific knowledge gained.

By: Lee Stevenson

Lee Stevenson — Sat, 03 Jul 2021 17:30:21 +0000

It makes me scratch my head that space agencies, especially NASA and ESA don’t share mutually beneficial tech such as landing parachutes for Mars. I know that NASA has been helping out with the testing of ESA’s parachute, but surely there is a person or team there that could point out the problems?

I don’t have a huge amount of faith in ESA’s ability to land and operate successfully a rover on Mars, it’s one more along with the James Webb on my “hope for the best…) List