QUESTION:
We are working on our Mars proposal and are not sure how to protect 
delicate instruments during the trip.  Any suggestions - especially 
what has been used to stabilize your instruments during flights.

ANSWER from Guy Beutelschies on February 1, 2000:
There are a couple of steps that we take in protecting delicate instruments:

1)	Identify the forces acting on the instruments.  Flying through
space is very benign, but launch and landing can shake up things pretty
well.

2)	Determine if the entire spacecraft can be protected.  For landing,
some of our options include airbags (like Mars Pathfinder), or retro
rockets with spring loaded and crushable legs (like Mars Polar Lander).
The crushable part of the legs is basically a telescoping tube with a
material like styrofoam (except much stiffer) in it that absorbed the
energy as you compressed it.

3)	Identify specific places that need to be protected.  One of the
ways we provide additional protection is to use thick rubber-like washers
underneath the mounting bolts that will absorb some of the shock.  Other
ways are to use small springs or pistons similar to a car's shock absorber.

4)	Design the instrument to be more tolerant to shocks.  Often there
are more rugged materials and technologies that can be used, although they
are typically more expensive (which is one reason why space missions cost
so much).