NASA's Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator Put to the Test
Flying saucer could help NASA one day make a smooth landing on the red planet.
— -- A flying saucer could one day help a manned mission to Mars make a smooth landing on the surface of the red planet.
NASA's Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator, which resembles a flying saucer, lifted off from Kauai, Hawaii this afternoon in a crucial test of the spacecraft's parachute.
If all goes according to plan, the spacecraft will travel to an altitude of 120,000 feet on the back of a weather balloon for two hours before undergoing a spin test.
The vehicle has performed well during tests with the exception of the flying saucer's parachute, which experienced an issue last year. NASA engineers will be watching closely today to see how the newly designed supersonic parachute performs.
One of four cameras on board the spacecraft is expected to beam low resolution video back to Earth of the parachute's performance, according to NASA. The deployment is expected to be sometime between two and five hours after launch.
"This year's test is centered on how our newly-designed supersonic parachute will perform," Mark Adler, project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in a statement. "We think we have a great design ready for the challenge, but the proof is in the pudding and the pudding will be made live for everyone to see."