NASA’s Flying Saucer Splashes Down Safely After Parachute Failure - http://clapway.com/2015/06/10/nasas-ldsd-splashes-down-safely-after-parachute-failure-879/

NASA’s flying saucer-shaped spacecraft, the Low Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD), splashed down and was successfully recovered after completing a recent test. The test consisted of launching the LDSD aboard a balloon, then using its rockets to propel it even higher. The vehicle reached a maximum height of 180,000 feet, and saw supersonic speeds during its flight. The flying saucer didn’t perform exactly as expected, though- its parachute was torn to shreds after fully inflating. Fortunately, though, the LDSD’s other speed-arresting device, its donut-like Supersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator, deployed and functioned without incident.

 

NASA flying saucer to take astronauts to Mars.

 

The Low Density Supersonic Decelerator was designed solely with a manned mission to Mars in mind. The spacecraft will need to carry a human crew as well as heavy equipment. The Martian atmosphere is far from dense, so the LDSD needs to have a high-drag shape and speed arrestors that can slow the heavy craft in such an environment. For that reason, it employs a new type of ringsail parachute that has twice the surface area of the parachute employed during the landing stage of the Curiosity rover mission. In a previous test, the parachute began to tear even while the chute was deploying, so some scientists and engineers working on the LDSD think that this failure is slightly less severe than the one from the previous test.

The next step is clear for the team behind the LDSD.

 

NASA’s flying saucer will need a parachute worthy of both Mars’ low-drag, low-density atmosphere, and Earth’s high-drag, high-density atmosphere. This means that the parachute must have a large surface area and be strong enough to withstand the high wind forces present at supersonic speeds. Clearly, it’s back to the drawing board to figure out a way to make the parachute stronger.

 

What’s after that?

 

The NASA flying saucer will need another two fully successful flights before it can gain approval for use in the Mars program. This was the second test, and there’s one more launch planned next year, as well as more likely coming after that. When human lives rely on the technology in a vehicle such as the LDSD, it is important to ensure that everything works like clockwork.

 

 

NASA’s Flying Saucer Splashes Down Safely After Parachute Failure

NASA Flying Saucer Launch Delayed Yet Again - http://clapway.com/2015/06/05/nasa-flying-saucer-launch-delayed-yet-again-456/

Due to bad weather conditions, flying saucer launch delayed fourth day in a row.

NASA’s new Low Density Supersonic Decelerator, or LDSD, was supposed to launch originally on June 2^nd. Now, June 5^th, the NASA team behind the project is still waiting for inclement weather to clear up. The test relies on a balloon to lift the spacecraft, which means that it needs calm winds. The high surface winds plaguing the mission today were cited as the reason for the postponement of the launch. Past delay reasons were poor ocean conditions and rain showers.

 

The flying saucer is part of NASA’s efforts to put man on Mars.

The LDSD is the vehicle that’s meant to take a crew of seven astronauts and their cargo to mars. It is revolutionary in a number of ways that will make it the only craft able to safely land humans on such a thin-atmosphere planet. First off, it has a shape designed to generate a lot of drag in order to slow it down. Second, the donut-shaped craft features two fascinating new gadgets that will allow it to slow down even better. The first is an inflatable sort of air brake known as the Supersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator, or SIAD. This first-step deceleration system is enough to reduce the LDSD’s speed to Mach 2.4. The second feature is a ringsail supersonic parachute, the first thoroughly redesigned space parachute since the 1970s Viking Program. This new ‘chute was needed for a spacecraft as heavy as the 7,000-lb flying saucer.

 

When the launch finally does happen, how will it go?

This launch is really something for us all to look forward to, as its live stream will be up for anyone to watch. For the test, the LDSD is first supposed to be attached to a huge balloon and allowed to climb to 120,000 feet. Then, it would detach from the balloon and rocket up to an altitude of 180,000 feet, which is close to the edge of the stratosphere. Once there, the next step is the deployment of the SIAD. Finally, the ringsail supersonic parachute will open, lowering speed as much as possible for a smooth splashdown. Hopefully, this launch will go better than the first time NASA launched an LDSD in 2014, from the same Kauai, Hawaii location. That test ended in the spacecraft returning to earth in very poor shape.

 

NASA Flying Saucer Launch Delayed Yet Again