Northrop Guiding Curiosity

As the Mars rover Curiosity explores the surface of the red planet, the vehicle is being guided by a device made by the Northrop Grumman Navigation Systems division in Woodland Hills. The LN-200S had been used on two earlier rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, both sent to Mars in 2004. The fiber-optic inertial measurement unit helps Curiosity in its duties by sensing acceleration and angular motion, providing data outputs for guidance, and positioning the rover’s antennae to relay to satellites the photos and data it collects on the Martian surface. The reliability and performance of the LN-200 series of IMUs makes them suited for aerospace and defense applications, said Gorik Hossepian, vice president of navigation and positioning systems. “This product has withstood challenging environmental conditions during numerous space missions, and this extends that legacy,” Hossepian said in a prepared statement. Northrop Grumman supplies different models of the IMU to NASA for various programs, including advanced research and development and the Sounding Rockets program at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Curiosity was launched aboard an Atlas V rocket in November 2011 and landed on Mars in early August. Scientists coordinate the mission from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada-Flintridge. – Mark R. Madler