Citation
(1998), "Mission to Mars: Pathfinder success fuelled by Computervision time compression tools", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 70 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.1998.12770aab.006
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 1998, MCB UP Limited
Mission to Mars: Pathfinder success fuelled by Computervision time compression tools
Mission to Mars: Pathfinder success fuelled by Computervision time compression tools
The world recently watched with fascination and amazement at pictures of the Mars landscape beamed back from NASA's Pathfinder landing craft. These photographs were the culmination of a project that involved over a year of rigorous component testing before the 351 kg, tetrahedral-shaped craft and its 10 kg Sojourner rover vehicle were propelled on a seven-month voyage into deep space. However, unknown to many, the images also provided an outstanding demonstration of the concurrent engineering capabilities of Computervision's CADDS 5 design automation software, along with the expertise of its consultants in helping to realise the software's full potential.
Developed by The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of Pasadena, California, the Mars Pathfinder is part of a new generation of low-cost spacecraft whose missions are capped at $150 million each and which must be developed and readied for launch within 36 months.
With time at a premium, CADDS 5 an integrated toolset for all phases of product development from design concept to manufacturing and a key element of Computervision's Electronic Product Definition (EPD) philosophy played a crucial role in successfully meeting the launch schedule by giving JPL the ability to move straight from "art to part".
During the craft's product development cycle, Computervision consultants helped JPL's design and manufacturing engineers improve their productivity with a mix of CADDS 5, Concurrent Assembly Mock-Up (CAMU) and Product Visualisation Software (PVS). For example, it took just three months to successfully instal and utilise CVNC manufacturing software to produce the spacecraft's backshell interface, including training.
Under the direction of Computervision consultants, JPL design engineers used CADDS 5 software to model the majority of the Pathfinder's components and digitally assemble the modelled parts with the aid of Concurrent Assembly Mock-Up (CAMU) software. These models were also used for stress analysis purposes.
Once the designers were happy, JPL's manufacturing engineers were able to take the CADDS 5 information directly from the design database and produce many of the Pathfinder's structural components using CVNC manufacturing software. In addition, PVS, an interactive tool for visualising 3D product models, guided the physical assembly of the Pathfinder craft and eliminated the need for detail and assembly drawings.
Now that Mars has yielded some of its secrets, and the Pathfinder programme has proved the benefits of IT-driven integrated product development, JPL's energies are focused further into space. Making full use of its experience with Computervision EPD tools, the company is working on its next project (codenamed Cassini) to develop a craft capable of exploring Titan, a moon of Saturn.
Details from Computervision Limited. Tel: 01203 417 718; Fax: 01203 411 749; Email: jsl@ukmail1.cv.com