In a few days (NASA) will test an inflatable shield that should provide protection for space launches.
What is known
The test will take place on November 9 as part of the Orbit experimentFlight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID). The diameter of the shield will be 6 meters. NASA scientists believe that it can be used in both manned and unmanned missions.
An inflatable shield should become an indispensable assistantwhen landing on Mars. This is due to the peculiarities of the atmosphere of the Red Planet. Its density eliminates the strong heating of the equipment that is landing, but because of the rarefaction, spacecraft fall at high speed. To solve the problem, engineers equipped Curiosity and Perseverance drones with rocket engines.
A prototype inflatable shield will fly into space along withULA Atlas V rocket. Together with it, it will launch the Joint Polar Surveyor System-2 (JPSS-2) weather satellite into orbit. NASA will receive information about the status of the shield three times a minute. It will return to Earth and splash down with the help of a parachute, having previously dropped the module with the data recorded during the experiment.