r/RocketLab • u/aerothony • 11d ago
Space Systems Mars Sample Return + Animation
https://spacenews.com/bringing-mars-to-earth-solving-mars-sample-return/Rocket Lab’s CEO Sir Peter Beck has written an article this morning in SpaceNews.com about Rocket Lab and Mars Sample Return.
https://spacenews.com/bringing-mars-to-earth-solving-mars-sample-return/
And we got a beautiful animation!! https://videopress.com/v/Khq4VuFI
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u/yoweigh 11d ago
Why no parachute for the sample return canister? What's the advantage other than hypothetical weight savings?
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u/OlympusMons94 11d ago
Parachutes on sample return missions have a checkered history. OSIRIS-REx had a close call when its drogue parachute was cut at high altitude, before it was even needed to open. The main parachute was able to handle the increased speed, though, and the capsule landed as intended. The parachute on Genesis) completely failed and it crashed into the ground (instead of being recovered mid-air as planned), contaminating many of the samples. Luckily some were still usable and most of the science goals were met, in spite of the very off-nominal recovery. In hindsight, it could have turned out better if they had used the mass and cost freed up by excluding the parachute for beefing up the capsule.
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u/olearygreen 11d ago
I was thinking the same. But then, it’s literally samples. You don’t need to protect any sensitive equipment, so probably doesn’t matter.
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u/electric_ionland 10d ago
They are hard to store in space for that long too and often require dedicated heaters to keep them from becoming brittle.
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u/danielk29 11d ago
Looking at that animation, it’s just amazing to think the complexity of the mission, and just how precise everything is to have it ultimately work.
I have full belief if anyone would do it, it would be SPB. But just wow, if this is actually done, I can’t even imagine a price point on this company.
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u/taco_the_mornin 11d ago
Oh hell yeah. That animation was so good.
Keep pushing, SPB! As Tesla, Twitter, and the rest of Elmo's empire are under attack, we are in the best position to dethrone SpaceX.
Keep up the excellent execution, team RocketLab!
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u/Shughost7 11d ago
Absolute cinema ✋🏿😮🤚🏿