The Low Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) project is a saucer-shaped spacecraft designed to journey to Mars. A test vehicle for new technologies needed for the craft is being subjected to experiments on the island of Kauai in Hawaii.
The scheduled tests have been cancelled by NASA due to bad weather.
"Due to weather conditions, there will be no launch of the LDSD test vehicle Tuesday, June 3. Other potential launch dates include June 5, 7, 9, 11 and 14. Launch decision for Thursday, June 5 will be made on Wednesday, June 4," NASA stated in an update.
Experiments will involve testing a unique decelerator system and parachute starting high over the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The design of the parachute is similar to models used on previous flights, including the twin Viking missions, which landed on Mars in 1976. The LDSD is much larger and stronger than previous designs, to ferry astronauts safely to the Martian surface.
The deceleration mechanism aboard the lander is unlike anything ever landed on another world. Inspired by a puffer fish, this mechanism inflates like a balloon, increasing air resistance, slowing the vehicle. For pufferfish, called O'opu hue in Hawaii, this rapid inflation is a defense mechanism to predators. For NASA, the same process may be the key to slowing spacecraft down to speeds where parachutes will become effective.
"To reach the desired altitude of 120,000 feet, the LDSD project will use a helium-filled scientific balloon... When fully deployed, the balloon itself is over 34 million cubic feet. At that size alone, one could fit a professional football stadium inside it," NASA officials wrote on the program website.
The balloon lifting the payload to the stratosphere is made from a thin film of polyethylene, similar to plastic wrap, which will lift the massive test article to 120,000 feet. After the test vehicle detaches from the balloon, solid rocket boosters will accelerate the spacecraft to four times the speed of sound, to simulate conditions entering the atmosphere of Mars.
If weather co-operates, the first test flight of the new design is scheduled for Tuesday, 3 June. The test will be conducted high in the atmosphere to simulate the thin air on Mars. After landing in the ocean, the test vehicle and balloon will be recovered by a pair of ships, the Konua and Kahana.
The Aloha State has provided testing grounds for the space agency for decades. Long-lost photographs of Apollo astronauts training there in the 1960's and 70's have lately been re-discovered. NASA researchers have also seen evidence of large, hollow tubes of lava on the Martian surface. Similar structures in Hawaii are being used to test techniques for human exploration of these Martian geological features.
The LDSD test will be broadcasted live on NASA TV. The experiment can also be watched online, at the NASA TV website.
