Entering Earth’s atmosphere from space is no joke. Boats returning to Earth are exposed to sky-high temperatures and fitted with static heat shields to survive the return trip. However, these have their limitations and are only able to slow down the limited weights on descent. In an effort to increase cargo capacity, NASA experimented with a larger inflatable heat shield.
Last week there was a severe test. NASA described the result as a “huge success”. CNN.
Upon entering the atmosphere, the heat shield was subjected to temperatures of up to 1,649 degrees Celsius and speeds of up to 28,968 kilometers per hour. When it touched down in the Pacific Ocean, NASA received good news.
– It basically looked the same. You can’t believe the flight back home was so violent, John DeNono, chief engineer for the project at NASA, tells CNN.
Great strides in space exploration
While the heat shield appeared to be in good enough shape to be usable again, a year’s worth of test results will now be checked. Then, they hope to be able to use the newly acquired knowledge to manufacture larger, inflatable heat shields. In the long term, it is hoped that this will lead to the ability to send heavy equipment – and people – to other planets.
When a spacecraft enters a planet’s atmosphere, it is met with air forces that help slow it down. Mars’ atmosphere is less than one percent as dense as Earth’s, and landing there would require additional assistance to slow the rover. Currently, NASA is able to land one-ton payloads on Mars. With air-inflated technology, it is believed that it could carry payloads of 20 to 40 tons, NASA project manager Joe Del Corso tells CNN.
– To put people on the moon or on Mars, we need things in large quantities. This means that we need to send a large mass into space. Now we have the opportunity to send heavy payloads into space and bring them back home. These two achievements are major steps towards enabling human access and exploration of space. We go to space and we want to stay there, he says.
Also read: The most powerful rocket in the world is now on its way to the moon
Also read: New problems for the American moon rocket
Also read: Divers have found a large part of the space shuttle
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