Future robotic missions to Mars and future human exploration missions will require more massive payloads than previously sent to the surface of the Red Planet. To achieve these goals, NASA is working on making new systems to deliver important cargo to the surface of Mars.
NASA scientists and engineers were inspired by a technique used by the 'o'opu hue, also known as the Hawaiian pufferfish, for the project called rapid inflation.
For the pufferfish it is a defense mechanism, but for NASA, it could be the element that links to the future of space exploration, according to a NASA press release.
LDSD will use a 20-foot diameter, solid rocket-powered balloon-like vessel called a Supersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (SIAD) to test these capabilities.
A test launch has been set for early June from the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii, LDSD.
NASA plans on using the thin air found high in Earth's stratosphere as a "test bed" for the LDSD mission, according to the release.
In order to reach an altitude of 120,000 feet, the LDSD project will use a helium-filled scientific balloon provided by NASA's Wallops Flight Facility and Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility.
The balloon itself is over 34 million cubic feet, when fully deployed. At that size, one could fit a professional football stadium inside it, according to NASA.
The material that makes the balloon, which is a very thin film called polyethylene that is similar thickness to that of sandwich wrap, will lift the massive test article of 120,000 feet.
"At that altitude, the test article will be detached from the balloon and a solid rocket motor will be employed to boost the test article on a trajectory to reach supersonic speeds (Mach 4) needed to test the SIAD," said NASA, according to the release.
After reaching supersonic speeds, the function and deployment of the inflatable decelerators will be tested to slow the test article speed where it becomes safe to deploy a supersonic parachute, according to NASA.
The test article and balloon will be recovered from the ocean.
Two recovery vessels, Kahana and Konua, will recover the test article and balloon respectively, according to NASA.
A G-2 and a C-26 aircraft will try focusing on determining positioning of the articles for recovery before the articles can be retrieved.
Wallops, which has provided the electronics for the test article and electrical ground support equipment, will oversee the recovery operations for the LDSD mission.
NASA has outlined six possible launch dates for the balloon carrying LDSD: June 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 14.
The June 3 launch window extends from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. HST, or 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EDT.
The test can be seen on NASA TV beginning at 7:45 a.m. HST (1:45 p.m.) or at NASA.gov/ntv.
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