Mars Science Laboratory Entry, Descent, and Landing Instrumentation (MEDLI)

The MSL Entry, Descent, & Landing Instrument (MEDLI) Suite is a set of engineering sensors designed to measure the atmospheric conditions and performance of the entry vehicle's heatshield of the Mars Science Laboratory during atmospheric entry and descent. The instrument suite, which flew on the Mars Science Laboratory and entered the Mars atmosphere on August 6, 2012, provided important engineering data for the design of entry systems for future planetary missions.

The Mars Science Laboratory Entry, Descent and Landing Instrumentation suite is a series of sensors embedded in the heat shield of the Mars Science Laboratory, which was launched Nov. 26, 2011, and successfully entered the Mars atmosphere Aug. 6, 2012. The MEDLI sensors successfully measured the temperature and pressure endured by the heat shield during atmospheric entry and descent at Mars.

MEDLI: Key Mission Facts

• The MSL Entry, Descent, & Landing Instrument Suite is a first-of-its-kind instrumentation system on the Mars Science Laboratory.
• MEDLI measured the temperature and pressure on the spacecraft as it flew through the Martian atmosphere, delivering unprecedented environmental data that will help NASA build more efficient robotic and crewed Mars landers in the future.
• About a tenth of MEDLI's data was transmitted during entry and descent; the rest was stored on the Curiosity rover and communicated a few days after landing.
• MEDLI data helped generate the "tones" that told the operations team on Earth how the spacecraft was progressing through the Mars atmosphere, delivering heatshield temperature data and other information.

The MEDLI experiment has helped NASA dramatically reduce mass margins on future missions, enabling more robust robotic studies. It collected an order of magnitude more EDL data than previous Mars missions. Data includes: Thermocouple/recession sensor data to define aeroheating uncertainties and determine performance limits of heritage materials. Pressure data for accurate trajectory reconstruction, separation of aerodynamic/atmospheric uncertainties in hypersonic and supersonic regimes. MEDLI is in design to provide even more re-entry data on a future Mars mission. This data will enhance entry environment modeling allowing optimized spacecraft design. Will collect an order of magnitude more EDL data than all previous Mars missions Thermocouple/recession sensor data to define aeroheating uncertainties and determine performance limits of heritage materials Pressure data for accurate trajectory reconstruction, separation of aerodynamic/atmospheric uncertainties in the hypersonic and supersonic regimes

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