NASA is set to livestream the “spin-table test” of its very own Mars Lander flying saucer technology.
The flying saucer could one day help a manned mission to Mars make a gentle landing on the surface of the Red Planet.
NASA showed off its Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator during a live broadcast from its Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Weighing in at 7,000 pounds and measuring 15 feet wide, the spacecraft underwent a spin test on a table to show off its capability.
Spinning an object keeps it pointed in one direction, and the saucer was equipped with a rocket to slow it down.
The technology could be crucial for Mars exploration since it would decelerate heavy landers traveling at supersonic speeds through Mars’ thin atmosphere. The drag device could one day help humans, their cargo and their return rockets safely reach the Red Planet.
The next step for the vehicle would be in June when it would blast off on a test into near-space from the Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii, NASA officials stated.
