posted on 2011-05-01, 00:00authored byKrishna Shankar, Kevin Peterson, Heather JonesHeather Jones, William Whittaker
Affordable test articles for descent and landing are crucial for developing commercial lunar landing capability. To ensure successful lunar landing, flight software must be tested over mission-length durations on hardware exhibiting dynamics analogous to those of true flight articles. Energetic and structural constraints typically preclude affordable long-duration lander tests.