NASA tests inflatable heat shield technology for deep space missions

NASA tests inflatable heat shield technology for deep space missions Hampton VA (SPX) Mar 10, 2016 - Before NASA uses its new inflatable technology for slowing spacecraft that are entering the atmospheres of other planets, it will first need to be packed into the tight confines of a rocket. Engineers at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, recently put the technology to the test by packing a 9-foot diameter donut-shaped test article, also known as a torus, to simulate what ... more

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