NASA to test 'pneumatic brakes' for Mars lander

The US space agency plans to launch a giant inflatable deceleration plate into low Earth orbit early next month .

Simulation of an inflatable speed reducer in Earth orbit. (Photo: NASA)

NASA recently turned a science fiction technology into reality when it successfully crashed the DART spacecraft into the Dimorphos asteroid, changing the orbit of the celestial body in an effort to bolster Earth's defenses. In a report on October 11, the agency said it will continue testing a giant deceleration plate that could one day be used to safely send large payloads to Mars and other planets in the solar system.

The inflatable structure, called LOFTID, is scheduled to be launched into low Earth orbit aboard a ULA Atlas V rocket on November 1 as a secondary payload on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's JPSS-2 polar satellite mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Once it reaches orbit, LOFTID will inflate like a flying saucer and then return to Earth to test its deceleration capabilities. The technology is expected to help large crewed and robotic missions land on Mars, as well as return heavier payloads to Earth.

As a spacecraft enters a planet's atmosphere, aerodynamic drag converts kinetic energy into heat, helping to slow the spacecraft as it lands on the planet's surface.

LOFTID speed reducer is inflated and pulled onto a test stand at the research facility. (Photo: NASA)

The atmosphere on Mars is much thinner than Earth's, which makes deceleration extremely difficult. The atmosphere is too thin for a spacecraft to "brake" as quickly as it would on Earth, meaning that entering the atmosphere is much riskier and requires greater protection than on Earth.

LOFTID is essentially a 6-meter-diameter circular inflatable structure that resembles a flying saucer and is protected by a flexible heat shield. It will act as a braking system as it moves through the atmosphere, creating more air resistance.

"This technology will enable NASA to conduct a range of missions to destinations such as Mars, Venus, Saturn's moon Titan and back to Earth ," the US space agency stressed in a post on its website.