Narrator: Getting one of
NASA's vehicles into space
takes engineering,
aerodynamics, lots of science,
and a special paint job.
This is NASA's Mars 2020 rover.
It's scheduled to land on the red planet
on February 18, 2021.
NASA paints all of its Mars rovers,
and Mars 2020 is no exception.
But painting a vehicle for an alien world
is a lot different from painting a car.
For starters, the process
is all done by hand.
The Mars 2020 rover started as a pile
of aluminum panels that took four months
and over 5,000 hours to assemble.
It'll take another three to four months
to turn the frame, also
known as the chassis,
into a completed rover.
That's where the paint job comes in.
The rover beings as a shiny aluminum
that is then painted
white to reflect sunlight
and help the rover from overheating.
Unlike the paint we put on cars,
this paint is far more durable.
It's made to endure the
extreme temperatures of Mars,
which can range from
70 degrees Fahrenheit,
20 degrees Celsius, near the equator,
to minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit,
minus 73 degrees Celsius.
In fact, you can still see
sections of white paint
on NASA's Curiosity rover,
which has been on Mars since 2012.
Many areas on the chassis
need to be painted,
while other parts won't
have any paint at all.
These areas usually have electronic boxes,
wiring, or sensitive
scientific instruments.
To protect them during the process,
these areas are carefully
masked with tape.
Emphasis on carefully.
Instead of just ripping
off a piece of tape,
it is precisely measured
and cut by a computer.
Then the rover is sanded to scuff
the shiny, smooth aluminum
which helps the paint adhere better.
As for the paint, it is
specifically formulated
to withstand all the
difficulties of getting to Mars.
Like the shaky ride
during launch and landing,
as well as dust storms on Mars.
For the paint to work effectively,
it has to be the right
thickness and evenly applied.
Once the paint is applied,
NASA has to make sure the rover's surface
can't absorb anything like
water or other chemicals.
So they bake it.
This happens in large,
thermal vacuum chambers.
The chassis is cooked in
the vacuum for three days
at 230 degrees Fahrenheit,
110 degrees Celsius.
The rover is then covered
with two bags to protect it
and transported to an air lock room.
This room preps the rover to go from
the dirty outside to the clean inside
of the assembly facility.
The outer bag is removed
and the clean, interior bag
is left on for the rover to enter.
Once the inner bag is removed,
final assembly of the rover can begin.
All the components that control the rover,
along with all its instruments,
will go inside the chassis,
forming the foundation
for the entire rover.
Who knew painting could also
count as rocket science?
See you in 2021, Mars.
