Structural mass optimization with manifest packaging, and outer mold line updates of a rigid mid lift-to-drag mars entry lander vehicle

Over the past four years, NASA has directed the Entry, Descent and Landing Architecture Study (EDLAS) to evaluate candidate technologies to deliver human-scale vehicles (carrying 20t payloads) to the surface of Mars. The study focused on two vehicles in Phase 3 (during 2018 and 2019), one low and one mid lift-to-drag (L/D) vehicle. This paper summarizes updates to the structural and aeroshell outer mold line design for the mid-L/D Mars entry lander vehicle that occurred during EDLAS Phase 3. The design efforts used parametric optimization to arrive at a solution for total vehicle primary and secondary structure mass, and vehicle center-of-gravity location. Additionally, the end of Phase 2 provided an updated surface payload manifest that required three 22 t landers. This paper also summarizes the results of the packaging feasibility study of the updated payload configurations for those three reference missions. The study verified an arrangement of the payload elements within the mid-L/D vehicle that satisfied the center of gravity location limitations for flight.