The influence of the ground characteristics on the structural design of entry vehicles has been noted in previous studies of sample return missions. This paper demonstrates that a proper characterization of landing site soil properties can potentially lead to a significant benefit to the system design. A multitude of other, mainly programmatic factors will ultimately drive the choice of landing site, but the results here indicate that there could be strong technical gains to be made by selecting one site over another or, at the very least, for undertaking a proper characterization of the terrain at the intended landing site, rather than using generic data. The paper provides a preliminary comparison of the Woomera test site in Australia with the well-characterized Utah Test and Training Range to demonstrate the point. Initial results indicate that an impact into the Woomera soil would result in at least a factor of 2 reduction in the peak deceleration experienced by a lander compared with the Utah soil. In other words, a landing in Woomera would be softer than in Utah and therefore, there is potential for a lighter entry vehicle or more payload.    «

The influence of the ground characteristics on the structural design of entry vehicles has been noted in previous studies of sample return missions. This paper demonstrates that a proper characterization of landing site soil properties can potentially lead to a significant benefit to the system design. A multitude of other, mainly programmatic factors will ultimately drive the choice of landing site, but the results here indicate that there could be strong technical gains to be...    »