2 min read<\/p>\n
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/pia24318_08_powereddescent_2000.jpg?w=1041\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nThe controlled descent of the Mars Curiosity rover included the use of propulsion rockets pointing to the surface to allow a gentle landing. The engine, shown firing in this illustration of Perseverance and the sky crane landing system relied on a pyrovalve that released the rocket fuel.<\/div>\nCredit: NASA \/JPL-Caltech<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe Curiosity and Perseverance Mars rovers continue to provide a wealth of information about the Red Planet. This was made possible in part by the sky crane landing systems that safely lowered them to the planet\u2019s surface. Their successful descent, managed by eight powerful engines, depended on one small part \u2013 a valve.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The engines produced about 750 pounds of thrust each, so they required more fuel than a conventional valve could deliver, said Carl Guernsey, propulsion subsystem chief engineer for the Mars Sample Laboratory Mission.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the engines pointing down, we throttle up and increase the thrust, so we slow down,\u201d said Guernsey. \u201cAt a certain altitude above the surface, you hold at a constant velocity to collect more sensor data, and then proceed with the rest of the descent.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
With only seconds for sensor data to identify the landing area and direct any last-minute diversion maneuvers, landing requires fuel available at the right time. To build the valve to help accomplish this task, NASA turned to a company that has provided the space program with reliable gas regulators<\/a> since the 1950s. Through a series of mergers, by 2021, the original company, called Conax Florida, became part of Eaton based in Orchard Park, New York.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\nWorking under contract with NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, the company developed a new one-time-use pyrovalve to sit between the hydrazine fuel tank and engines. The zero-leak valve was the largest ever made of its type at the time, at three-fourths of an inch.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/figure>The Curiosity and Perseverance Mars rovers continue to provide a wealth of information about the Red Planet. This was made possible in part by the sky crane landing systems that safely lowered them to the planet\u2019s surface. Their successful descent, managed by eight powerful engines, depended on one small part \u2013 a valve.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The engines produced about 750 pounds of thrust each, so they required more fuel than a conventional valve could deliver, said Carl Guernsey, propulsion subsystem chief engineer for the Mars Sample Laboratory Mission.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the engines pointing down, we throttle up and increase the thrust, so we slow down,\u201d said Guernsey. \u201cAt a certain altitude above the surface, you hold at a constant velocity to collect more sensor data, and then proceed with the rest of the descent.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
With only seconds for sensor data to identify the landing area and direct any last-minute diversion maneuvers, landing requires fuel available at the right time. To build the valve to help accomplish this task, NASA turned to a company that has provided the space program with reliable gas regulators<\/a> since the 1950s. Through a series of mergers, by 2021, the original company, called Conax Florida, became part of Eaton based in Orchard Park, New York.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Working under contract with NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, the company developed a new one-time-use pyrovalve to sit between the hydrazine fuel tank and engines. The zero-leak valve was the largest ever made of its type at the time, at three-fourths of an inch.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pyrovalve-c.png?w=2026\")
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