How to Slow Down a Spacecraft: The Science Behind It

How do spacecraft slow down? Rigid heat shields and retropropulsion have been the favorites of engineers for years. Now NASA is testing a new inflatable heat shield technology that could allow us to carry even larger payloads to worlds with atmospheres.

Launching on Nov. 1 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket along with NOAA’s JPSS-2 mission, the Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator, or LOFTID, will demonstrate the heat shield’s ability to slow down and survive atmospheric entry.

#spacecraft
,#space
,#science
,#nasa
,#technology
,#howto
,#slowdown
,#physics
,#engineering
,#astronomy
,#scicomm
,#interestingfacts