Last Thursday, an Atlas 5 rocket took off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California with two missions on its schedule. One was traditional, but the other was…special. He launched a kind of flying saucer.
The first mission was the transportation of a new weather satellite (JPSS-2) that will help us predict, monitor and control climate crises. And the second .. well, let’s meet this “flying saucer”.
Atlas V United Launch Alliance Download JPSS-2 Satellite And it launched a strange system called LOFTID - the low Earth orbit flight test of an inflatable decelerator.
Even though your name doesn't say much, you can become one of the names The most valuable allies on space missions to Mars, Venus or Titan🇧🇷
What is LOFTED?
Basically, it consists of a kind of brake to facilitate landing, whether on other planets or moons, or when returning to Earth.
This is because Mars has a much less dense atmosphere than our planetwhich poses a huge challenge when it comes to stopping and landing spacecraft.
The atmosphere is thick enough to provide some resistance, but too thin to slow the spacecraft as fast as it can in Earth's atmosphere.
NASA explained.
According to NASA, currently, We can transfer about a metric ton to the surface of the red planet, which is enough to carry something like the rover's perseverance. However, how would it be possible to take down larger loads for more ambitious future missions or even take experimental equipment or human crews?
In fact, there must be a way to land this heavy equipment for the most demanding explorations.
NASA prepares a flying saucer for landing on Mars
NASA knows this stream shells (aeroshields), the hard shells that help slow down and protect spacecraft while entering the atmosphere, represented a limited solution and he decided to look for an alternative.
So they created an inflatable model that could be manufactured and disseminated on a much larger scale. This "giant disk", protected by an elastic heat shield and when active in the atmosphere - It works as a massive braking system🇧🇷
This is the philosophy of LOFTID, which is able to initiate deceleration in the upper parts of the atmosphere, at a higher altitude.
With an increasing focus on Mars and other planets (and moons), the US space agency has developed a model that scientists tested this week. The disc is about six meters in diameter and consists of several layers, including silicon carbide.
Using a device like LOFTID, CNN reports, we can reach Mars from 20 to 40 metric tons, much more than the technology we use now.
LOFTID's detachable aerodynamic hull, an inflatable structure protected by a flexible heat shield, acts as giant brakes when crossing the Martian atmosphere. The device is designed to survive descending into the atmosphere at dizzying speeds, which, among other things, expose it to temperatures of about 1,600 degrees Celsius and can be stored in a relatively small cylinder, about 1.2 meters wide.
revealed to NASA On your website dedicated to this task🇧🇷
This week's experiment, which NASA has provided updates with each new development, will give scientists a better understanding of LOFTID's capabilities.
About 90 minutes after liftoff, the instrument detached from the polar satellite and performed its own experiment, re-entering Earth's atmosphere during a maneuver carefully recorded by the built-in sensors.
The researchers collected data to assess the behavior of the heat shield and the response of the material.
Another small step to conquer Mars
The material ended up falling into the Pacific Ocean, about 800 meters from Hawaii, two hours after liftoff. The process is well documented and shows LOFTID descending under a canopy before ending up floating in the water.
You are Experts have recovered both the heat shield and the ejection data unita small device ejected with a backup of all the events recorded during the test.
A brief and curious experience that could one day make it easier for us to set foot on the red planet or during maneuvers back to our planet.
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