Engineering PapersSearch

Engineering topics

Ardalan, S.

Publications and source records attributed to Ardalan, S..

Hayabusa: Navigation Challenges for Earth Return

Hayabusa was a JAXA sample-return mission to Itokawa navigated, in part, by JPL personnel. Hayabusa survived several near mission-ending failures at Itokawa yet returned to Earth with an asteroid regolith sample on June 13, 2010. This paper describes NASA/JPL's participation in the Hayabusa mission during the last 100 days of its mission, wherein JPL provided tracking data and orbit determination, plus verification of maneuver design and entry, descent and landing.

Itokawa

MGS and Odyssey - relay satellites for the MER mission

Both Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) and Odyssey are currently in low altitude, nearly circular and highly inclined orbits about Mars. Thus, they are available adn compartible to serve as relay satellites for the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) mission. Consequently, the MER project developed requirements for MGS to be overhead for MER-A (Spirit) at Gusev crater, at maximum elevation, mudway between lander separation and initial touchdown; in time, this was specified as 01/04/04. 04:24:55 UTC/SCET with a 30 sec tolerance.

Mars Exploration Rover (MER)