NASA will test a supersonic parachute, the largest ever … – TF1

NASA , the US space agency will test the new generation of parachutes, to the most advanced technology, which will allow larger aircraft to land smoothly. The test of the parachute, which will be attached to a capsule dubbed “flying saucer” because of its shape, to be held at 13:30 (7:30 p.m. in France). It was postponed to Thursday 7:30 (1:30 p.m.) because of too unfavorable weather conditions.

“The height of the waves in the ocean are still a problem for the team that would find the capsule (to which the parachute is attached) and its data after its decline” in water, said NASA to justify the postponement.

As the atmosphere on Mars is not very dense, while parachute for slowing a heavy spaceship and moving at high speed should be especially solid.

NASA began testing this technology in 1976 by sending the Viking mission sent two robots on Mars. But with the goal of sending humans to the Red Planet in 2030, the US space agency has accelerated the program of new parachutes.

“We want to see if the parachute can be deployed and decelerate the test vehicle while in supersonic flight,” said the Jet Propulsion Laboratory NASA in a statement.

A parachute 30 meters in diameter

The test vehicle will weigh a little more than three tons, twice the weight of vehicles that NASA is currently able to land on Mars. The parachute (“Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator” or LDSD), as described by the Agency “the biggest parachute ever deployed,” is 30 meters in diameter. Its purpose will be to “reduce vehicle entry speed of Mach 2 at subsonic speed.”

For the test, NASA will send his flying saucer and its parachute to an altitude of 37 kilometers above the Pacific Ocean, with a balloon giant. This then will drop the saucer, which will be led still higher, up to 55 km altitude, through booster rockets: the vehicle will then reach supersonic speeds.

The saucer will move to 2.35 times the speed of sound

The saucer will move to 2.35 times the speed of sound when the parachute will deploy to help the saucer to land on the Pacific Ocean, said NASA.
This new technology is tested at very high altitude, because the conditions are similar to those of the upper atmosphere of Mars.

A first test was conducted in June 2014, but a different parachute was tested, which had not been satisfactory: he had not inflated as expected and s ‘was torn. A new trial is already scheduled for 2016.