MSL rover structural verification and validation via centrifuge testing

Centrifuge testing has been a tried and true method for the global structural qualification of small to medium sized test articles. During the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover structural qualification program the centrifuge test method is extended to the application of large scale aerospace structures. With the increased test article size and dimensions, parameters otherwise considered trivial become complicated design drivers for the test hardware and implementation. These typically ignored testing provisions include facility power and structural capability, test article interface structure and enclosure, and the enclosure aerodynamics. The size of the MSL rover has been the source of many design and testing complications throughout its development. However, the solutions for these complications are paving the way for future large aerospace structures. The centrifuge testing implementation described within should serve as a guideline for implementing future centrifuge testing on similar large scale structures.