Mars Launch System and the Rotational Stability of a Prolate, Spin-Stabilized Spacecraft

This paper describes various analyses performed to characterize the rotational stability of the unguided second stage of the Mars Launch System, a key component of the proposed Mars Sample Return campaign. The Mars Launch System would be a two-stage solid rocket responsible for delivering select Martian samples from the surface of Mars into a tightly constrained orbit for rendezvous with the Earth Return Orbiter. Due to mass and geometry constraints, the second stage of the Mars Launch System would be unguided, prolate, and spin-stabilized about its axis of symmetry. Under torque-free motion, a rotating body experiencing internal rotational energy dissipation will tend towards its minimum-energy state rotating about its axis of maximum moment of inertia. In the case of the Mars Launch System second stage, this minimum-energy state would be a flat spin about its transverse axis. Therefore, any rotational energy dissipation from the Mars Launch System second stage would negatively impact its directional stability, thus making it essential to appropriately characterize and constrain such losses. Requirements on the structural modes of the vehicle can help prevent structural resonance with its rotational dynamics. However, some potential dissipative mechanisms, such as the motion of unconstrained Martian samples inside their collection tubes, are prohibitively difficult to prevent in the vehicle’s design. For these mechanisms, multi-body dynamic models have been developed to help predict the resultant impact of these mechanisms on the vehicle’s attitude stability. The results of analysis thus far have verified the feasibility of the Mars Launch System unguided, spin-stabilized second stage baseline implementation and have allowed guidance, navigation, and control simulations to better model the spacecraft’s stability throughout its burn and payload delivery. The decision to implement Mars Sample Return will not be finalized until the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s completion of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. This document is being made available for information purposes only.

1. Introduction

The Mars Sample Return (MSR) campaign would be a collaboration between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA). Its intent would be to collect Martian rock and soil samples, cored from an area of high scientific value, and return them safely to Earth. On Earth, detailed compositional analyses would investigate the samples’ geological histories and look for signs of past life. This endeavor has been a priority of the international scientific community since the 1980s, and has been the top priority of three consecutive National Academy Decadal Surveys. MSR would be an important step in paving the way to human travel to Mars.