Embedded Model Control For Mars Terminal Descent Phase

The objective of this thesis is to provide an exhaustive (as much as possible) description of Guidance Navigation and Control systems (GNC) for the propulsive terminal phase of mars landing scientific missions, and to define a unified GNC architecture capable of solving soft landing, and pin-point landing problems. Accordingly, a model-based control system design methodology will be employed throughout. Such a design technique, called Embedded Model Control (EMC), is hinged on the construction of a finite dimensional Discrete-Time (DT) State Equation (SE), called Embedded Model (EM), describing the landing vehicle motion dynamics. The EM is embedded in the Digital Control Unit (DCU), acting as the core of the GNC algorithms. In this chapter , the current scenario of mars exploration technologies will be briefly introduced. Then a brief review of key missions will be done, particularly attention will be take into landing missions and its control system requirements for the terminal decent phase, giving to the reader a fast overview of the past and actual control requirements for mars landing exploration missions.