DSENDS: Multi-mission Flight Dynamics Simulator for NASA Missions

Abstract

Increasingly complex space missions require powerful and flexible simulation environments in order to design, analyze, and operate the missions. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has created the DSENDS simulation environment that addresses these needs for a wide range of space missions. In this paper, we describe the DSENDS simulation environment and the key architectural components that make DSENDS a useful simulation and analysis framework. We also overview a variety of NASA missions and flight experiments that are using DSENDS.

End-to-end Mars entry, descent, and landing modeling and simulations for Tianwen-1 guidance, navigation, and control system

“…The National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) developed two primary Mars EDL simulation tools, based on NASA LaRC's program to optimize simulated trajectories II [5,6] and NASA JPL's dynamics simulator for entry, descent, and surface landing [7,8]. Based on the two simulators, NASA performed Mars EDL simulations for the Mars Phoenix and Mars Science Laboratory and successfully landed them on the Mars surface [9,10].…”

Propagation and Reconstruction of Reentry Uncertainties Using Continuity Equation and Simplicial Interpolation

“…Examples are the mission design of the Mars Pathfinder [6], of the Mars Science Laboratory [7] missions, and of the future Mars2020 exploration mission [8]. Simulation software such as the NASA Dynamics Simulator for Entry, Descent, and Surface Landing (DESENDS) [17] uses a Monte Carlo-based dispersion analysis. In addition, MC simulations have been extensively used for the design verification of entry guidance algorithms [2,3,[18][19][20].…”