Successful inflatable heat shield test brings NASA closer to first-ever landing on Mars

Last week, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

) announced a test of an inflatable heat shield for landing spacecraft. It was successfully tested the day before.

What is known

Atlas V booster senta demonstration sample of the Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) into space. At an altitude of 125 km, the module successfully deployed a heat shield, after which it returned to Earth and splashed down in the ocean.

Successful testing of the new system means thatNASA is one step closer to landing on Mars. The atmosphere of the Red Planet does not allow efficient use of the parachute system for the successful landing of spacecraft. In the case of the small Spirit and Opportunity rovers, the scientists deployed airbags that deployed during impact with the surface. Jet engines helped the larger Perseverance and Curiosity rovers.

The LOFTID module during the return to Earth does notstopped transmitting telemetry for a short period of time, but NASA says that the device performed well during the test. In the near future, specialists from the space agency will study the recorder data, which will allow us to restore all the details of the mission.

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