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If humans one day want to land safely on Mars, they will have to invent a spacecraft that can slow down enough to survive entering the Red Planet’s atmosphere.
In 2021, NASA was able to deliver its Perseverance rover safely to the surface of Mars using a parachute. But this technology is not sufficient for larger payloads, such as missiles that carry people on board.
In this context, the US Space Agency may have a solution to this problem, as its engineers have developed a large inflatable heat shield resembling a flying saucer that will be launched into low Earth orbit this week to begin experiments on it.
Once in orbit, the flying saucer will inflate and return to Earth’s surface. NASA hopes the test will demonstrate how the heat shield can act as a giant brake to slow a future spacecraft to Mars.
If successful, the test could mark a critical step in the agency’s ambitious goal of sending humans to the Red Planet within the next decade.
Video showing how the new spacecraft works: