On June 28 NASA successfully tested its low-density supersonic decelerator (LDSD) off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii. Launched from a high-altitude balloon, the LDSD test vehicle began powered flight about 37 kilometers over the Pacific Ocean and splashed down after the test flight concluded. The test vehicle hardware, black box data recorder and parachute were all recovered. “We are thrilled about yesterdays test,” said Mark Adler, project manager for LDSD at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, in a teleconference after the test. “The test vehicle worked beautifully, and we met all of our flight objectives.” This test was the first of three planned for the LDSD project, developed to evaluate new landing technologies for future Mars missions. This initial test was designed to determine the flying ability of the vehicle, but also deployed two new landing technologies. Those landing technologies will be officially tested in the next two flights. “Because our vehicle flew so well, we had the chance to earn ‘extra credit’ points with the supersonic inflatable aerodynamic decelerator [SIAD],” said Ian Clark, principal investigator for LDSD at JPL. “All indications are that the SIAD deployed flawlessly, and because of that, we got the opportunity to test the second technology, the enormous supersonic parachute, which is almost a year ahead of schedule.” The SIAD is a large, doughnut-shaped first deceleration technology that deployed during the flight. The second deceleration technology is an enormous parachute. To get larger payloads to Mars, and to pave the way for future human explorers, cutting-edge technologies like LDSD are critical. Among other applications, this new space technology will enable delivery of the supplies and materials needed for long-duration missions to the red planet. Read more: iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/inbrief/2014/06/20140630303027.html?CP.rss=true#ixzz36ArDpSir
Posted on: Tue, 01 Jul 2014 00:58:42 +0000
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