It’s obvious that sometimes, science and technology are actually copied from Science Fiction movies and series. Now NASA has researching the possibility of sending our very own FLYING SAUCERS to the red planet that would help the rovers already there explore Mars in a much more efficient way.
After several years of hard engineering work, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of NASA presented the “Low Density Supersonic Decelerator” or AKA LDSD, a new device that literally looks like a flying saucer cooked up from science fiction movies. The LDSD is equipped with a supersonic parachute that will inflate upon touchdown allowing a gentle descent to the surface of Mars.
The problem that motivated researchers in developing a technology like this is the low atmospheric density of Mars (equivalent to 1% of the Earth) which would make it very difficult to land an object heavier than the Curiosity Rover, which used the friction of the atmosphere of the Red planet upon entry to slow down its fall, successfully overcoming the so-called “seven minutes of terror”. What does this mean? Well basically it means that had scientists not come up with the Human Flying Saucer, it would be nearly impossible to create in the future, a habitat for humans on Mars.
The LDSD is the next big step
According to NASA: “Landing on Mars is not like landing on Earth, which has a dense atmosphere, or on the moon, which has no atmosphere. Mars has a tricky environment somewhere in-between: it has too much atmosphere to allow rockets alone to land heavy vehicles, as is done on the moon, but too little atmosphere to land vehicles from space purely with friction and parachutes, as is done on Earth.”
The Doors for Human Colonization of Mars have been opened
Thanks to NASA, the newly designed system which has two balloon-like structures of 6 and 8 meters in diameter ready to inflate at a speed of 4,280 kilometers per hour, surrounding the flying saucer to provide it with more volume, scientists have overcome one of the biggest problems that humans will face if we ever want to create colonies on Mars: The red planet’s tricky atmosphere.
“The new deceleration capabilities provided by NASA’s Low Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) project should permit landings at higher altitudes, with greater spacecraft masses and higher precision. A successful LDSD test program would bring these new technologies to sufficient readiness levels allowing them to be infused into potential future robotic and human mission designs”
Source and reference: Low Density Supersonic Decelerators