Power and pyro subsystems for Mars Pathfinder

The power and pyro subsystem (PPS) for the Mars Pathfinder was designed to support the spacecraft activities during launch, cruise, entry and landing and Mars operation phases of the mission. The key design constraints were cost, volume and mass. The PPS consists of solar arrays, batteries and power electronics. This paper describes the Mars pathfinder mission, key requirements on the PPS, the PPS system architecture and a description of each element of the PPS system.