Every American can be proud of the accomplishment represented by the successful landing and deployment of the Mars rover, Curiosity. Some machine shops, however, can be proud that parts they made are on that amazing vehicle.
This artist’s conceptualization of NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover shows the unworldly uniqueness of its design and construction. Image courtesy of NASA/JPL Caltech.
The successful landing and deployment of NASA’s Mars rover, Curiosity, is a triumph of science and technology. It is also a triumph for the manufacturing companies that contributed to the design and construction of this extraterrestrial vehicle. MMS profiled one of those companies, Next Intent (San Luis Obispo, California), a few years ago, when the new Mars rover was under development. A highlight of this case history is the role played by GibbsCAM CAM software in the programming of tool paths for a titanium rotor housing this shop produced.
