NASA sucessfully tests ‘flying saucer’ concept
US space agency NASA has carried out flight tests on an experimental saucer shaped descent vehicle for future missions to the Martian surface. The Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) undertook a 'near-space test flight' when it was dropped from a ballon at 120,000ft over the pacific ocean.
A new type of parachute as well as an inflatable Kevlar ring were the two primary technologies being tested, with the aim to slow the rapid decent of the falling lander, and deliver it safety to the surface.
Upon being dropped a rocket motor accelerated the LDSD to Mach 4, to mimic the speed likely to occur during an actual decent. At this point the first system known as the Supersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (SIAD) was deployed. The large, doughnut-shaped, inflatable ring increases the amount of drag around the LDSD and helps to slow the vehicle to such a point where the second system can be deployed: an enormous parachute known as the Supersonic Disk Sail Parachute.
By improving the ability to decelerate a lander would mean a heavier payload could be used in the future. At present the limit is around 1.5tonnes, with manned spaceflight expected to require a minimum of 10tonnes.
Ian Clark, principal investigator for LDSD at JPL, said: "All indications are that the SIAD deployed flawlessly, and because of that, we got the opportunity to test the second technology, the enormous supersonic parachute, which is almost a year ahead of schedule."
Initial test data indicates the parachute did not deploy as expected, and the team is still analysing data on the parachute so that lessons learned can be applied for the next test flights, scheduled for early next year.
