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NASA's Mars 'flying saucer' is ready for its next test (update)
If you need something to watch that's not Apple related, the Low Density Supersonic Decelerator(LDSD) that NASA hopes will help Mars missions land safely is about to undertake its next test. After more than a week of delays caused by bad weather, the saucer shaped vehicle will launch at about 1:30PM ET. After that, it's in for a three hour wait to reach an altitude of 120,000 feet before it's dropped and the rocket-powered portion of its trip will begin. Once it reaches Mach 3, the Decelerator's inflatable "drag devices" will deploy, slowing things down enough for it to deploy a parachute, and then land in the ocean. Check out the live stream embedded after the break (plus a clip from its test last fall), and we'll update you on its progress throughout the day. Update: The craft is almost to its 120,000 foot release height, where it will drop from the balloon and fire its rocket to climb even higher, which is scheduled to happen at about 5:35PM ET. Update 2 (5:42PM): As you can see from the live stream after the break, the rocket-powered flight went off as scheduled, however the redesigned supersonic parachute failed again.
NASA pushes back its latest flying saucer test
NASA's not having an easy time testing the Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator that should eventually put big payloads on Mars. The agency has scrubbed all test flights this weekend due to weather, and now won't take the flying saucer-like balloon for a spin until June 8th at the earliest. The low-altitude wind is simply too rough, NASA says. The setback isn't completely shocking (the LDSD is often at the mercy of its environment by its nature), but it's disappointing if you were hoping to witness NASA's futuristic craft in action.
Check out this HD footage of NASA's flying saucer in action
We've been following NASA's Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) program for awhile now, and finally have some HD video of it to share. The footage chronicles the LDSD's recent balloon-and-parachute-enabled test-flight and was captured with a number of high-def and high-speed cameras placed on and around the spacecraft. While it isn't a full, unedited clip, this two-minute video gives us the best look at how the contraption actually works and a different perspective of Earth from outer space. The aeronautics outfit says that the test flight provided it with valuable new datasets that can be applied to next year's hypersonic dry-runs ahead of the LDSD's trip to Mars.
The Big Picture: Recovering NASA's flying saucer
Despite Independence Day being right around the corner, what you're seeing up above shouldn't get your hopes up about welcoming any aliens to Earth. Besides, everyone knows that the government would likely never release pictures of that sort of thing anyhow. What's pictured is actually the result of NASA's first Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) test-flight that took place over the weekend, and the image was captured a few hours after the vessel touched down over the US Navy's Pacific Missile Test Range. Currently there are plans to test the aerospace outfit's not-a-UFO at least two more times ahead of its ultimate goal: a trip to Mars. [Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech]
NASA readies Mars 'flying saucer' for risky hypersonic flight test
The wispy atmosphere of Mars is 99 percent thinner than Earth's -- not great for slowing down space ships or metorites. NASA's testing a way to make it work, however, using a helium balloon, rockets and a Low Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) vehicle, which looks suspiciously like a UFO. The plan is to launch the LDSD to 120,000 feet using the balloon, then push it to the edge of space (180,000 feet) with the powerful solid-fueled rocket. At that point it'll be traveling hypersonically at Mach 4 in the stratosphere, simulating a Mars arrival. A second, donut-like balloon called the "supersonic inflatable aerodynamic decelerator" will then deploy, increasing the craft's surface area and slowing it to about Mach 2.5. Finally, the largest supersonic parachute ever tested will pop, allowing the vehicle to eventually touch down in the ocean. If the complex plan goes awry, NASA will learn from the data it gathers and try again in order to meet its ambitious Mars exploration schedule. Either way, it'll be fun to watch -- the launch is set for tomorrow in Hawaii between 2:00 and 3:30 PM ET.
