By now the whole world knows about NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity’s recent touchdown on the red planet. As engineers, our own ‘curiosity’ makes us want to know more about the technology used in this amazing piece of kit.
While a bill of materials is not exactly forthcoming, Crane Aerospace & Electronics was eager to boast that its Interpoint DC-DC converter and EMI filter modules were onboard Curiosity when it landed on the Gale Crater.
Curiosity’s goal is not to find Martian life, but rather to seek out carbon-based organic compounds that are the building blocks of life, and then to determine whether the Gale Crater landing site was ever suitable for creatures. The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on 26 November 2011 via an Atlas V rocket, and landed more than eight months later on 6 August 2012.
Crane supports Curiosity with nine different Interpoint DC-DC converter and EMI filter families including the SMFLHP, SMRT, SMHF and SFME. The converters are designed for the demanding environments in space, defence, aerospace and industrial applications. The EMI filters complement the converters, simplifying system compliance to MIL-STD-461 and other demanding requirements.
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