In preparation for future missions to Mars, NASA is developing a new method for shielding spacecraft from the fiery inferno of atmospheric entry, and it is doing so by using a series of what look like pool floaties. As we travel through space, we have a lot to worry about. The tricky task of entering a planet's atmosphere is just one of the many things that need to be considered. The Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) project seeks to change the way that spacecraft are protected from the heat generated during atmospheric entry.
HIAD has been in development for a long time, but its next application will be in the LOFTID flight test. LOFTID looks like a series of inner tubes of decreasing diameter stacked on top of each other to form a cone, which can be packed into a small package and inflated when required. Ceramic fiber is woven together to make a fabric.
LOFTID is expected to be launched in November aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. LOFTID will attempt to inflate and reenter Earth's atmosphere in order to see how successful the design is at slowing down and protecting sensitive equipment from the heat of reentering.
According to a NASA press release, the system came in at 5,600 miles per hour or 2.5 kilometers per second. Hughes is a LOFTID lead at NASA. We will be arriving at 8 kilometers per second with LOFTID. Nine times more energy is achieved by that three times faster.
Depending on the scope of the mission, the LOFTID system can be scaled to different sizes. NASA is interested in how this technology can help protect future crewed missions to Mars.
The test shuttle that never flew to space is remembered.
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