One of the greater challenges of sending payloads to Mars is contending with the planet's atmosphere. While incredibly thin compared to Earth's (with roughly half of 1 percent of Earth's air pressure), the resulting air friction ...
Space Exploration
Jun 18, 2019
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Devising a way to one day land astronauts on Mars is a complex problem and NASA scientists think something as simple as a child's toy design may help solve the problem. Safely landing a large spacecraft on the Red Planet ...
Space Exploration
Jan 3, 2015
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Want to try your hand at landing an inflatable spacecraft? All you need is a smart phone, a computer or a tablet.
Space Exploration
Sep 6, 2012
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A large inflatable heat shield developed by NASA's Space Technology Program has successfully survived a trip through Earth's atmosphere while travelling at hypersonic speeds up to 7,600 mph.
Space Exploration
Jul 23, 2012
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NASA managers are rescheduling the launch of an inflatable heat shield technology demonstration flight from the agency's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va., until no earlier than Sunday, July 22.
Space Exploration
Jul 20, 2012
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NASA will launch an inflatable aeroshell/heat shield technology demonstrator on a Black Brant XI sounding rocket July 22 from the agency's launch range at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
Space Exploration
Jul 19, 2012
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(Phys.org) -- NASA Space Technology Program researchers will launch and deploy a large inflatable heat shield aboard a rocket travelling at hypersonic speeds this weekend during a technology demonstration test from the agency's ...
Space Exploration
Jul 18, 2012
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A successful NASA flight test Monday demonstrated how a spacecraft returning to Earth can use an inflatable heat shield to slow and protect itself as it enters the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds.
Space Exploration
Aug 17, 2009
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Inflatable aircraft are not a new idea. Hot air balloons have been around for more than two centuries and blimps are a common sight over many sports stadiums. But it's hard to imagine an inflatable spacecraft.
Space Exploration
Aug 14, 2009
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