NASA launches heat shield into space: it will make it possible for humans to go to Mars
2NASA launches heat shield into space: it will make it possible for humans to go to Mars
The American Aerospace Agency (NASA) has announced that it will launch a heat shield into space to enable humans to travel to Mars. The low-Earth orbit flight test of the technology, called "Inflatable Attenuator" (LOFTID), will be held on November 9. The vehicle, which will swell after launch, is expected to minimize friction at the entrance and exit of the Martian atmosphere.
If humans are to one day land safely on Mars, a spacecraft must be invented that can slow down sufficiently to allow them to survive reentry.
In 2021, NASA's Perseverance rover left the atmosphere unharmed after landing on the Red Planet using a simple parachute. However, the landing process becomes quite challenging for larger vehicles such as rockets with humans inside.
NASA aims to address this problem with a large flying saucer-like inflatable heat shield that will launch into low Earth orbit this week. It was stated that the vehicle, called the Inflatable Attenuator (LOFTID), will inflate before descending back to Earth.
IT WILL MOVE LIKE A GIANT BRAKE
With the Inflatable Decelerator Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test, NASA predicts that the heat shield could act as a giant brake to slow down a future Mars spacecraft.
IT WILL BE LAUNCHED NOVEMBER 9
However, LOFTID plans to launch on Wednesday, November 9, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, USA, on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket along with a JPSS-2 polar orbiting weather satellite.
IN THE FUTURE 10 YEARS, PEOPLE CAN GO TO MARS
If the test is successful, NASA could achieve its ambitious goal of launching humans to the Red Planet within the next ten years.
"This technology could support landing crew and large robotic missions on Mars, as well as returning heavier payloads to Earth," NASA said in a statement.
Conversely, when it comes to targets with atmospheres, including Mars, Venus and Earth, one of the major challenges NASA faces is how to deliver heavy payloads. The Red Planet's atmosphere is also less dense than Earth, making it a greater challenge for spacecraft to slow down.
"Mars' atmosphere is thick enough to provide some drag, but too thin to slow the spacecraft down as fast as it does in Earth's atmosphere," NASA explained.
The agency's solution to this problem was a 6-metre-wide heat shield to be placed in the upper atmosphere. LOFTID will allow a spacecraft to slow down early while experiencing less intense warming.