NASA To Launch ULA's Inflatable Heat Shield That Protects Spacecraft From Crash Landing

NASA is about to launch the Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID), a spacecraft-mounted heat shield filled with air that aids an airborne vehicle in safely landing in the atmosphere. If it works, the parachute heat shield can support personnel landing on Mars and massive robotic missions and bring larger objects back from orbit.

Since the aeroshells, a sort of stiff shell that avoids heat that only depends on a rocket's shroud size, it is difficult for NASA to send heavy payloads like experiments, equipment, and people to places with atmospheres. The introduction of LOFTID, ensures that the individuals on the missions are safe, secure, and able to return to Earth, in addition to preventing harm to the experiments and equipment. Designboom will update the article once the launch's findings are available.

An inflatable aeroshell that can be used on a wider scale than the shroud provides the space agency with the solution. This indicates that the technology can easily traverse through NASA missions such as those to Mars, Venus, Titan, and back to Earth.

Earlier this month, NASA conducted a test launch of LOFTID onboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket together with a weather satellite. The story will be updated by designboom as soon as the test findings are known.

(Photo: NASA)
Illustration of Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID).

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What to Expect Regarding NASA's LOFTID Aeroshell

According to NASA, aerodynamic forces affect a spacecraft as it enters an atmosphere. In particular, aerodynamic drag slows it down by turning the object's kinetic energy into heat. NASA added that the most effective way to slow down a spacecraft is to use air drag.

When a spacecraft uses LOFTID, the inflated heat shield serves as the brake pedal as it travels through space and, for instance, to Mars. "The large aeroshell creates more drag than a traditional, smaller rigid aeroshell. It begins slowing down in the upper reaches of the atmosphere, allowing the spacecraft to decelerate sooner, at higher altitudes, while experiencing less intense heating," said NASA in a blog post.

LOFTID Specs

Asserting that the advantages of the inflated parachute design may allow simple orbit return and cheaper cost of access to space through launch vehicle asset recovery, NASA is considering a LOFTID with a diameter of 20 feet (per Daily Mail). The technique for the inflatable decelerator is also adaptable to crewed and substantial robotic missions to Mars.

The LOFTID project is run by NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, and is a component of the Space Technology Mission Directorate's Technology Demonstration Missions program. Ames, Marshall, and Armstrong have all contributed to the project. You may get real-time updates on this page of the NASA website.