Development of the Support System Used on the HP3 Instrument for Insight Mars Mission

Abstract

An overview of the development and the qualification process of the Support System is presented. The relevant requirements, the mechanical design and the environmental testing are described. The mechanical design of the Support System is mainly driven by a new and unique set of requirements derived from the working environment on Mars, the autonomous mechanical operation on the surface and the deployment from the lander deck. The resulting relevant sub-system requirements are presented. Furthermore the instruments design is explained to show, which design elements have been implemented to ensure proper functionality. One major group of design elements, which is described in detail, are the various mechanisms. Details on the used actuators and their functionality are also presented. Various verification tests had to be performed in the course of HP3 Support System development. Besides the standard thermal-vacuum and vibration tests, special tests have been executed to show compliance of the instrument design to the requirements. These tests are: Separation Tests from the lander deck in cold environment and under various tilting angles, Tether Deployment Tests, under various temperatures, foldings and routings, Feet Sliding Resistance Tests, which determine the motion of the instrument in sand under inclined conditions on the Martian surface. The test setups and the results will be shown.