The article I chose is about an advancement made in JPL's Mars 2020 mission. The Mars 2020 mission is another go at sending a rover to Mars. The article focusses on how the rover can now stand and move on its own wheels, without the need for any support. This is the first time the rover has been able to support its own weight, which is a very significant advancement. The rover will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in July 2020 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
In order to make these advancements, JPL engineers went through years of design, analysis and testing. The parts and mechanisms on the rover have very specific measurements that took a long time to test and implement. There are also complex mechanisms such as the rover's "rocker-bogie" suspension system which took a while to perfect. This system maintains a relatively constant weight on each wheel for stability. The engineers want to make sure everything is flawless because once the rover is launched, there isn't much they can do if something goes wrong.
This invention will have huge implications on our population as it is the first rover mission designed to seek signs of past microbial life. Earlier rovers first focused on and confirmed that Mars once had habitable conditions. The Mars 2020 rover is designed to study the rock record to reveal more about the geologic processes that created and modified the Martian crust and surface through time. It will also demonstrate key technologies for using natural resources in the Martian environment for life support and fuel. This science goal relates to national space policy for sending humans to Mars in the 2030s.
This article relates to our JPL project because it shows advancements being made by a group of engineers in order to solve a difficult task. Though our group probably isn't working together as efficiently as these engineers, we are still making progress every day. This includes cutting wood to shape and sourcing more materials and tools. We've been much more successful over this past week then we have during any other and our project is finally starting to take shape. Hopefully, now that we have more of the materials and tools necessary to start construction of the trebuchet, we will be able to begin putting the pieces together in the coming week.