Have you ever experienced an unquenchable desire to go places humans have never gone before? In this video, engineers from NASA’s JPL tell you how they solved the multitude of challenges facing the entry, descent, and landing (EDL) of a mars rover onto the surface of mars. From resolving the heat issues upon entering the atmosphere, to describing a procedure they call the “skycrane” for lowering the rover onto the surface of Mars, to the method used to determine the landing spot, this video is an excellent description of the so-called seven minutes of terror.
The incredible challenge of executing a series of engineering events with almost no room for error in each one is just one of the many interesting facets when engineering space travel. Maybe one day you’ll be on Mars too? (Take me with you!)
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