NASA's Mars Chopper concept is a more capable proposed follow-on to NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, which arrived at the Red Planet in the belly of the Perseverance rover in February 2021. Chopper would be about the size of an SUV and could be used to carry small science payloads. Scientists could use Chopper to study large swaths of terrain in detail, quickly – including areas where rovers cannot safely travel.
Delivering a larger vehicle to the surface will require a new and novel separation mechanism from the delivery vehicle which will be the subject of this summer internship.
Description:
The student will join the Mars Chopper team as a Mechanical Engineering intern. The student will help the team with early design and prototyping of a separation mechanism that will ultimately be responsible for delivering the Chopper from the aeroshell through a stable transition to powered flight during entry and descent into the Martian Atmosphere.
Student Requirements:
The student should have good working knowledge of Mechanical Engineering principles, have familiarity with CAD (NX), be able to read and produce technical drawings, and be familiar with the engineering design process. The student should also be familiar with generating and executing test procedures .
Location / Safety:
Project building and/or room locations: .
Student will need special safety training: .
