NASA To Send Inflatable Heat Shield Up Into Space To Launch Rockets Into Mars

After the success of last week’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), NASA is now tackling launching new rockets to Mars with the aid of its latest project, an aeroshell. 
 
The shield is an inflatable device and will be used to help deploy spacecrafts to Mars and other planets in our solar system. 
 
The Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) will be brought to space as early as November 1. 

Now you may wonder how an inflatable shield will help launch rovers and robots into the cosmos. According to the space team, when a craft enters a planet, the speed at which it moves creates kinetic energy once it breaches its atmosphere. This heat helps slow it down as it reaches the surface. Unfortunately, on planets like Mars, the air proves to be too thin to do so, and as such, extra care is needed when sending anything to the Red Planet. 
 
In comes the LOFTID. The inflatable structure is meant to act as a braking system as it travels, creating atmospheric drag. This will allow spacecraft to reduce speeds at a higher altitude, eliminating risks and damage. 
 
If all goes well, the aeroshell will be deployed to help send robotic missions to Mars and to retrieve projects returning to Earth.

 
 
 
[via Interesting Engineering and NASA, images via various sources]