.@NASAPersevere has been hard at work collecting soil samples on Mars – and now we're going to help retrieve them.

@NASA has selected our team to build the aeroshell for the lander that will conduct the FIRST sample return mission from another planet in history. Thread🧵:

Fun fact: Our team has built aeroshells for all ten of @NASA's landed Mars missions to date, for asteroid and comet missions, and for the human-carrying @Orion_spacecraft. Safe to say we’re experts at protecting precious cargo.

What's the secret formula for keeping a spacecraft cool in temperatures of over 5,000°F? Turns out, part of it is a combination of silicone and cork, and we've been using it to protect spacecraft since the 1970s. Now, we pack the backshell with this thermal protection material.

Building aeroshells is an artform, and it is a critical part of every landed mission to other planetary bodies and sample returns.

Aeroshells ensure our spacecraft can take the intense heat and forces of atmospheric entry. 🔥