Simulations Provide Understanding of Spacecraft Landing Dynamics

Future spacecraft bound for the Moon or beyond will benefit from high-powered computer simulations that model the particulate mayhem set in motion by rocket thruster-powered landings. During descent, exhaust plumes fluidize surface soil and dust, forming craters and buffeting the lander with coarse, abrasive particles. This action presents a host of variables that can jeopardize a landing. A current understanding of those millions of interactions is based on data that is, in some cases, 40 to 50 years old. Much of the available data used in the design stage, including for the Mars 2020 mission, is based on Apollo-era data.