Femap Jet Propulsion Laboratory

NASA engineers used Femap to ensure Curiosity could endure the “Seven Minutes of Terror”

Industry Aerospace

Business challenges Designing and building a new roving Mars Science Laboratory Developing and implementing a totally new landing proce- dure for “the hardest mission ever…” Missing the launch window deadline would mean more than two years of delay

They’ve been doing rocket science at JPL Keys to success Femap helps optimize component and parts for since the 1930s. In 1958, JPL scientists Innovative, one-of-a-kind launched Explorer, the first US satellite to Curiosity’s mission to Mars, product development orbit the Earth, followed by many successful Thorough project planning the most challenging and missions not only near Earth, but also to and execution demanding ever other planets and the stars. Precision engineering and Sending a package to Mars is a fabrication JPL engineers use a toolkit of engineering complex undertaking software applications from Siemens PLM Delivering a roving science laboratory from Software to help them make highly Results Earth to the planet Mars requires meticulous informed decisions. A key component in this planning and precision performance. You A soft landing with no toolkit is Femap™ software, an advanced only have one chance to get it right; there’s damage to components engineering simulation software program no margin for error. Engineers and scientists that helps create finite element analysis Continuing a new era in at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at (FEA) models of complex engineering prod- Mars exploration the California Institute of Technology had to ucts and systems and displays solution Determining whether make crucial decisions thousands of times results. Using Femap, JPL engineers virtually Mars could ever have over a multi-year product development modeled Curiosity’s components, assem- supported life schedule to successfully land the Mars Rover blies and systems, and simulated their “Curiosity” on the floor of Gale Crater on performance under a variety of conditions. August 6, 2012.

www.siemens.com/plm/femap JPL engineers use a toolkit of engineering software applications from Siemens PLM Software to help them make highly-informed deci- sions. A key component in this toolkit is Femap soft- ware, an advanced engi- neering simulation software program that helps create The powered descent vehicle containing Curiosity was analyzed during the early design stages finite element analysis mod- with the help of Femap. els of complex engineering products and systems and From 13,000 to 0 mph in seven minutes displays solution results. (SA/SPaH) subsystem: the Powder Also known as the Mars Science Laboratory Acquisition Drill System (PADS), the Dust (MSL), this rover is massive compared to Removal Tool (DRT), and the Collection and earlier vehicles NASA has landed on the “Red Handling for Interior Martian Rock Analysis Planet.” In the deployed configuration with (CHIMRA) device. the arm extended, the rover is 2.5 meters wide, 4.5 meters long and 2.1 meters high. Curiosity also inherited many design ele- Weighing nearly a ton, the Curiosity rover is ments from the previous Mars rovers “Spirit” five times the mass and twice the length of and “Opportunity,” which reached Mars in its predecessors, which meant that an 2004. Those features include six-wheel entirely new and much softer landing drive, a rocker-bogie suspension system and procedure had to be engineered. cameras mounted on a mast to help the mission’s team on Earth select exploration NASA needed to slow the rover spacecraft targets and driving routes on Mars. from a speed of 13,000 miles per hour (mph) to a virtual standstill to softly land Virtually all of the spacecraft itself and its the rover during what NASA calls “Seven payload were subjected to simulation analy- Minutes of Terror.” After completing a series sis using Femap for pre- and post-process- of “S” maneuvers, deploying a huge para- ing. Simulations performed before part and chute, and then with the unprecedented system production included linear static, use of a specially designed “sky crane,” the normal loads, buckling, nonlinear, random MSL was gently set down so as not to dam- vibration and transient analyses. Thousands age the labs’ functional and scientific of design decisions were made using components. information from Femap simulations.

Those components include a 2.1-meter long In addition to the complex nature of the robotic arm, which is used to collect pow- mission itself, engineers developing dered samples from rocks, scoop soil, brush Curiosity from initial design to final delivery surfaces and deliver samples for analytical of components to Cape Canaveral were instruments. The science instruments on working against the clock. The ideal time the arm’s turret include the Mars Hand Lens window to send a package from Earth to Imager (MAHLI) and the Alpha Particle X-ray Mars is a 2- to 3-week period that happens Spectrometer (APXS). Other tools on the roughly every 26 months. Missing that win- turret are components of the rover’s Sample dow would have set the mission back by Acquisition, Processing and Handling more than two years, so JPL engineers needed to analyze parts and components quickly and efficiently so that they could be fabricated. Virtually all of the spacecraft itself and its payload were subjected to simulation analysis using Femap for pre- and postprocessing. Simulations performed before part and system production included linear, static, normal loads, buck- Femap was critical in performing all types of FEA on all aspects of the vehicle. Each component of the vehicle ling, nonlinear, random had a higher-level, loads-type model built, and these models were joined to create the full spacecraft model. vibration and transient analysis. Thousands of design decisions were made The role of Femap Femap was critical in performing all types using information from Femap is JPL’s primary pre- and postproces- of FEA on all aspects of the vehicle. Each Femap simulations. sor for FEA. For MSL, engineers started component of the vehicle had a higher- using Femap early in the design stage when level, loads-type model built, and these they were performing trade studies on models were joined to create the full various configurations or different ways to spacecraft model. JPL engineers worked approach the mission. As the configuration through various “what if” scenarios, includ- matured, they used Femap to help create ing as many as 37 different load cases for the master finite element model that was how the parachute would deploy during used to run the various load cases. the landing process.

Most of the structural analysts at JPL use The Curiosity mission is not JPL’s only Femap either for creating or viewing the current project. Other missions include results of a FEA run. The software was used satellites monitoring conditions on Earth, for both high level-linear analysis and very telescopes, experiments and other detailed nonlinear analysis. These are two spacecraft. very different types of analysis both using the same piece of software. Planned missions include the InSight mission that will place a lander on Mars in Certain jobs were simply too large for one 2016 to drill beneath the surface and inves- person, and in some instances engineers tigate the planet’s deep interior to better had to build on the work of other people understand Mars’ evolution. There are even who had previously used Femap to build plans for a proposed Mars Sample Return FEA models. Femap was designed as a very mission, which would collect samples easy-to-use package, created for analysts by from the surface of Mars and return analysts who are acutely aware of what them to Earth. engineers need and how they work. They can pick it up after six months of non-use JPL engineers are currently using and and be back to peak proficiency in a very will likely continue to use Femap to help short time. accomplish these and other missions of engineering, discovery and science. Solutions/Services Femap www.siemens.com/plm/femap

Client’s primary business The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a federally funded research and development center managed by the California Institute of Technology for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. www.jpl.nasa.gov

Client location California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California United States

Femap was designed as a very easy-to-use package, created for analysts by analysts who are acutely The software was used for both high level-linear analysis and very detailed nonlinear analysis. aware of what engineers need and how they work. They can pick it up after six months of non-use and be back to peak proficiency in a very short time.

Using Femap, JPL engineers virtually modeled Curiosity’s components, assemblies and systems, and simulated their performance under a variety of conditions.

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