[dramatic percussion music]
- HEY, AND WELCOME TO "NASA LAUNCHPAD."
I'M YOUR HOST, CALEB KINCHLOW.
INFLATABLES AREN'T A NEW THING.
IN FACT, YOU PROBABLY PLAYED WITH INFLATABLES A LOT AS A KID,
BECAUSE, IN ESSENCE, THIS IS AN INFLATABLE.
AND INFLATABLES AREN'T EVEN A NEW CONCEPT
FOR NASA AND SPACE TRAVEL IN GENERAL.
AS FAR BACK AS 1961,
CONCEPTS FOR INFLATABLE SPACE STATIONS
WERE BEING DEVELOPED.
NOW NASA'S WORKING ON INFLATABLES
IN THE FORM OF HEAT SHIELDS,
AND THIS OLD THING
ISN'T GOING TO CUT IT.
[balloon sputtering]
SO FIRST THINGS FIRST.
JUST WHAT IS THIS NEW AND IMPROVED
INFLATABLE TECHNOLOGY ALL ABOUT?
- CURRENTLY, WHEN WE SEND A PAYLOAD TO ANOTHER PLANET,
WE NEED TO SLOW IT DOWN.
ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE CAN SLOW IT DOWN
IS TO USE THE ATMOSPHERE
IF THERE IS AN ATMOSPHERE AT THAT BODY.
TO SLOW IT DOWN, WE USE DRAG OF THE VEHICLE.
DRAG OF THE VEHICLE
IS A FUNCTION OF THE AREA.
RIGHT NOW,
WE HAVE A MAXIMUM SIZE PAYLOAD SHROUD
OF ABOUT 4 1/2 METERS.
SO IF YOU WANT A LARGER DRAG DIAMETER
TO LAND A LARGER PAYLOAD ON THE PLANET,
YOU NEED TO FIGURE OUT SOME WAY OF DEPLOYING
THAT AEROSHELL TO A LARGER DIAMETER.
WE'VE CHOSEN INFLATABLES AS OUR APPROACH.
THEY PACKAGE VERY NICELY,
VERY SIMILAR TO A PARACHUTE
THAT PACKS DOWN AT A VERY SMALL VOLUME
AND CAN DEPLOY TO SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER AREAS.
- AND LIKE WE SAID,
NASA'S NEXT-GEN INFLATABLES ARE REALLY UNIQUE STRUCTURES.
WHAT MAKES THEM SO UNIQUE? LET'S FIND OUT.
FIRST, LET'S TAKE A LOOK
AT THE MATERIALS THEY'RE MADE OF.
INFLATABLES ARE BUILT USING SEVERAL LAYERS OF MATERIALS,
AND EACH LAYER HAS ITS OWN PURPOSE.
- THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT PARTS OF AN INFLATABLE.
SO THE BASE PART, THE INSIDE, THE MAIN STRUCTURE,
IS A SILICONE LINER,
JUST LIKE A BALLOON, SAME THING.
IT'S A RUBBER-TYPE MATERIAL.
IT'S THE POINT OF KEEPING THE NITROGEN INSIDE THE VEHICLE.
ON THE OUTSIDE OF THAT IS ACTUALLY A KEVLAR.
THIS IS THE SAME STUFF
THAT POLICE WEAR IN THEIR BULLETPROOF VESTS.
YOU CAN SEE THAT A LITTLE BIT BETTER HERE.
IT'S THE YELLOW THAT'S HERE.
IT IS A WOVEN MATERIAL.
WE KEEP THAT INTERLOCKED.
IT GIVES IT A STRUCTURE.
IT KEEPS IT WITHIN A CERTAIN DIAMETER
SO IT DOESN'T OVERINFLATE.
AND THEN ON THE OUTSIDE OF THAT,
WE ACTUALLY HAVE-- IT'S AN RTV,
A RUBBERIZED COATING,
JUST LIKE THE CAULK AROUND YOUR BATHTUB.
THIS STUFF IS HIGH-TEMPERATURE, THOUGH,
SO IT CAN TAKE A LITTLE BIT MORE THERMALLY
THAN THE CAULK AROUND YOUR BATHTUB.
AND THAT'S PRETTY MUCH ALL THAT THERE IS
TO OUR INFLATABLE.
- THE SHAPE OF THIS INFLATABLE IS IMPORTANT TOO.
ENGINEERS AND RESEARCHERS KNOW THAT THE BLUNT-SHAPED BODY
USED IN PREVIOUS CAPSULES WORKS EFFECTIVELY.
SO HOW DO THEY GO ABOUT GETTING AN INFLATABLE
TO MAKE AND KEEP THE RIGHT SHAPE?
- WE STACK A SERIES OF INCREASING-DIAMETER DOUGHNUTS
ON TOP OF ONE ANOTHER.
YOU THINK OF THE STACKING TOY
YOU HAD WHEN YOU WERE A TODDLER.
YOU HAD A SERIES OF DIFFERENT-SIZED DOUGHNUTS.
AND AS YOU STACKED THEM UP,
IT CREATED A CONE, EITHER UP OR DOWN
OR WHATEVER WAY YOU WANTED.
SO WE STACK THE DOUGHNUTS TOGETHER TO GET THE CONE,
AND THEN WE USE ADHESIVES AND STRAPS
TO HOLD THE WHOLE ASSEMBLY TOGETHER
AND THEN TIE THAT INFLATABLE STRUCTURE
BACK TO THE CENTER BODY WITH A SERIES OF STRAPS.
- OF COURSE, THE INFLATABLE
ISN'T PUMPED UP FOR THE WHOLE MISSION.
THAT MEANS SOMETHING NEEDS TO INFLATE THE STRUCTURE
WHEN IT GETS TO ITS DESTINATION.
SO HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?
- JUST LIKE WHEN YOU GO TO THE STORE
AND YOU GET THE HELIUM TANK
AND THEY FILL UP YOUR BALLOON,
WE HAVE A CYLINDER JUST LIKE THAT
THAT ACTUALLY HOLDS NITROGEN.
AND WE FILL THESE THINGS UP IN FLIGHT.
A SERIES OF VALVES OPEN,
AND IT FILLS EACH ONE OF THESE INDIVIDUALLY.
AND THEY'RE ALSO LINKED TOGETHER
SO THAT WE MAKE SURE WE DON'T OVERPRESSURIZE
AND THEY DON'T POP.
- NOW, WITH THE INFLATABLE HEAT SHIELD
BEING A NEW TECHNOLOGY
WITH SO MANY DIFFERENT COMPONENTS,
IT FOLLOWS THAT ENGINEERS
DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT HOW IT WILL WORK,
SO THEY HAVE TO DO TESTS.
AND WE'RE NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT PENCIL AND PAPER
OR EVEN COMPUTER SIMULATIONS.
- WE'VE GOT A LOT OF DIFFERENT TESTING
THAT HAS TO GO INTO THESE VEHICLES
IN ORDER TO PROVE THEM.
WE ARE DOING WIND TUNNEL TESTING OUT AT NFAC
WITH A FULL-SIZE VEHICLE.
WE'VE GOT EIGHT-FOOT-HIGH TEMPERATURE TESTING,
WHERE WE'RE DOING SMALL SAMPLES
WE CAN DO DIFFERENT MATERIAL CONFIGURATIONS FOR
AND TRY TO GET THAT INFORMATION.
WE ALSO HAVE MORE COMPLEX TESTS
WHERE WE TEST THINGS LIKE THE NOSE CAPS
IN THE TP2 TEST FACILITY DOWN AT JSC.
SO WE'VE BEEN DOING ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT TESTING,
TRYING TO GET THE INFORMATION THAT WE NEED
IN ORDER TO GO TO OTHER PLANETS OR WHEREVER.
- AND ONCE INFLATABLE TECHNOLOGY IS READY TO GO,
THERE'S NO TELLING SOME OF THE DESTINATIONS
THAT COULD BE ON NASA'S RADAR.
UNTIL THEN, RESEARCHERS AND ENGINEERS
WILL CONTINUE THEIR QUEST
TO TAKE THIS TECHNOLOGY LITERALLY OUT OF THIS WORLD.
THAT'S IT FOR NOW.
THANKS FOR WATCHING.
I'M CALEB KINCHLOW.
CATCH YOU NEXT TIME ON "NASA LAUNCHPAD."