Lander Vision for Mars Perseverance

Andrew Johnson, Behçet Açikmeşe, Christopher Baker

June 2, 2021

Community of Practice Webinar Series

NASA Flight Opportunities

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/flightopportunities/community-of-practice

1

NASA FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES

www.nasa.gov

NASA Flight Opportunities

Session will start at 10 a.m. PT – Please mute your microphone and turn off your camera

Community of Practice Webinar Series – June 2, 2021

Andrew Johnson, Ph.D., NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Behçet Açikmeşe, Ph.D., University of Washington

Christopher Baker, NASA Flight Opportunities and Small Spacecraft Technology

From the Mojave Desert to the Jezero Crater: 

Lander Vision for Mars Perseverance

1

NASA FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES

Welcome to the Community of Practice Webinar Series!

First, a bit of housekeeping...

• Please mute your microphone and turn off your camera

• Today’s session will be recorded

• Recordings for this and all future session will be posted on the Flight Opportunities 

website

• Please engage!

• Use the chat throughout the session to ask questions

2

2
Lander Vision for Mars Perseverance

Andrew Johnson, Behçet Açikmeşe, Christopher Baker

June 2, 2021

Community of Practice Webinar Series

NASA Flight Opportunities

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/flightopportunities/community-of-practice

2

NASA FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES

Flight Opportunities Mission

3

The Flight Opportunities program facilitates rapid 

demonstration of promising technologies for 

space exploration, discovery, and the expansion 

of space commerce through suborbital testing 

with industry flight providers.

3

NASA FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES

4

Upcoming Funding Opportunities

Tech Flights Solicitation 2021 Coming Soon

• Will be open to researchers from industry, non-profit 

research institutes, and academia

• Awardees will receive a grant or collaborative 

agreement allowing them to purchase flights from a 

U.S. commercial flight vendor that best meets their 

needs

• Funding amounts for individual awards in 2020 were up 

to $650K (Tech Flights 2021 award amounts are TBA)

NASA TechRise Student Challenge

• Will start accepting entries in August 2021

• Teams of students from grades 6 to 12 can enter to 

receive $1,500 an assigned spot on a NASAsponsored commercial suborbital flight

• Educators can join NASA and Future Engineers for 

virtual summer workshops

NASA TechLeap Prize 

• Opportunity for technology developers to address a 

current NASA technology need

• Cash prize and access to a suborbital flight 

opportunity 

New NASA Prize-Based Competitions

Visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter for official announcements 

about Tech Fights, TechLeap, and TechRise: nasa.gov/flightopportunities

4
Lander Vision for Mars Perseverance

Andrew Johnson, Behçet Açikmeşe, Christopher Baker

June 2, 2021

Community of Practice Webinar Series

NASA Flight Opportunities

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/flightopportunities/community-of-practice

3

NASA FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES

Join us for future Community of Practice webinars!

In July, watch our “Preparing 

Proposals” replay!

We’ll be back with the Payload 

Accelerator for CubeSat 

Endeavors (PACE) team in August

August 4th at 10 a.m. PST

5

Future webinars

• Webinars are held 1st Wednesday of each 

month at 10 a.m. PT

• Topics will be announced in the Flight 

Opportunities newsletter and website

• Session recordings will be posted on the 

Flight Opportunities website

• Let us know session topics you would like 

to see covered

5

NASA FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES

Today’s Speakers

6

Christopher Baker

Program Executive

Flight Opportunities and Small 

Spacecraft Technology

Andrew Johnson, Ph.D.

Principal Member, Technical Staff

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Behçet Açikmeşe, Ph.D.

Professor, Aeronautics & 

Astronautics

University of Washington

6
Lander Vision for Mars Perseverance

Andrew Johnson, Behçet Açikmeşe, Christopher Baker

June 2, 2021

Community of Practice Webinar Series

NASA Flight Opportunities

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/flightopportunities/community-of-practice

4

NASA FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES

www.nasa.gov

NASA Flight Opportunities

Community of Practice

Dr. Behçet Açıkmeşe | JUNE 2021

7

8

G-FOLD Development and Testing

Behçet Açıkmeşe

Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics

University of Washington

8
Lander Vision for Mars Perseverance

Andrew Johnson, Behçet Açikmeşe, Christopher Baker

June 2, 2021

Community of Practice Webinar Series

NASA Flight Opportunities

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/flightopportunities/community-of-practice

5

EDL with 

Precision/Pinpoint 

Landing

Parachute Phase

Powered Descent (PD) Phase 

Entry Phase

Landing location

Error accumulated in and entry parachute phases

Divert distance

Landing error 

< 1-2 km for Precision Landing

< 0.2 km for Pinpoint Landing 

- Sample return

- Access to more sites 

- Human missions

5-6 km

MSL landing ellipse

9

MSL landing ellipse 

was 10km

9

10

Lossless Convexification

LIFT

SLICE

PROJECT

10
Lander Vision for Mars Perseverance

Andrew Johnson, Behçet Açikmeşe, Christopher Baker

June 2, 2021

Community of Practice Webinar Series

NASA Flight Opportunities

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/flightopportunities/community-of-practice

6

Trajectories First Test Flight 

Campaign for G-FOLD

11

Optimal PDG algorithm is a leap in the state-of-the-art 

11

G-FOLD Onboard

12

https://youtu.be/PzHaWc5n70A

12
Lander Vision for Mars Perseverance

Andrew Johnson, Behçet Açikmeşe, Christopher Baker

June 2, 2021

Community of Practice Webinar Series

NASA Flight Opportunities

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/flightopportunities/community-of-practice

7

NASA FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES

www.nasa.gov

NASA Flight Opportunities

Community of Practice

Dr. Andrew Johnson | JUNE 2021

13

NASA FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES

14

14
Lander Vision for Mars Perseverance

Andrew Johnson, Behçet Açikmeşe, Christopher Baker

June 2, 2021

Community of Practice Webinar Series

NASA Flight Opportunities

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/flightopportunities/community-of-practice

8

NASA FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES

15

15

NASA FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES

16

16
Lander Vision for Mars Perseverance

Andrew Johnson, Behçet Açikmeşe, Christopher Baker

June 2, 2021

Community of Practice Webinar Series

NASA Flight Opportunities

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/flightopportunities/community-of-practice

9

NASA FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES

17

17

NASA FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES

18 www.nasa.gov

Thank you! 

Flight Opportunities website: 

http://nasa.gov/flightopportunities

Contact us:

NASA-FlightOpportunities@mail.nasa.gov

18