NASA test a new technology to help spacecraft land safely on Mars

To slow down a spacecraft as it descends and lands on a distant planet in deep space mission, including Mars, NASA engineers are testing the technology inflatable heat shield at the Langley Research Center NASA in Hampton, Virginia.

Engineers recently put the technology to the test by packing a test article donut-shaped nine feet in diameter - also known as a torus - to simulate what would happen before a space mission.

Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic called the decelerator (HIAD), which works like a parachute, by dragging a planet's atmosphere to slow the spacecraft as it descends to the surface.

Slowing down the spacecraft protects the intense heat of atmospheric entry and allows to land more softly.

The technology will allow delivery of the burden, scientific instruments and people of other worlds.

It could also be used to retrieve the cargo from the International Space Station (ISS) and returning to Earth.

"During testing, a vacuum pump was used to compress the test article in a small space," said Keith Johnson, a senior project engineer in a statement.

"We packed and unpacked and made thorough inspections to check for leaks and damage to Zylon and Teflon materials. We repeat this three times," he added.

According to the test engineer Sean Hancock, HIAD was packed in the same way each time to see how the material would handle folding, packing and compression.

Doing so helps engineers understand how it would be done after exposure to handling, storage and deployment during a space flight mission.

"The test includes all components for the latest design of the inflatable bull, so it was a good final test to demonstrate that packaging materials can tolerate," said Keith Johnson.

After the successful test, the NASA engineers can advance the development of the creation of a larger HIAD that can withstand the stress of being cramped in a rocket and high experienced temperatures when it descends through the atmosphere a planet like Mars.

"Ultimately, we will have a complete system that will be tested to demonstrate that it can meet the requirements for a space flight mission if it is going to be a vehicle to return to Earth or future missions to Mars," he said.