- HYPERSONIC INFLATABLE AERODYNAMIC DECELERATORS
HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE
THE COMPLICATED AND CHALLENGING TASKS
OF ENTRY, DESCENT, AND LANDING
SMOOTHER AND MORE MANAGEABLE THAN EVER BEFORE,
ALL WHILE GIVING US ACCESS TO PLANETS AND MOONS
WE'VE ONLY EVER DREAMED OF EXPLORING.
FIND OUT HOW NEXT ON "REAL WORLD."
ENTRY, DESCENT, AND LANDING TECHNOLOGIES
ENSURE PRECISE AND SAFE LANDINGS FOR NASA SPACECRAFT.
EACH EDL IS UNIQUE BECAUSE OF THE ATMOSPHERE
AND THE TYPE AND/OR SIZE OF SPACECRAFT BEING LANDED.
BUT ANY SPACECRAFT THAT FLIES THROUGH AN ATMOSPHERE
TO LAND ON THE SURFACE BELOW ENCOUNTERS SOME COMMON PROBLEMS.
WITH A HIAD VEHICLE,
THE DIFFICULTY OF BOTH ENTRY INTO AN ATMOSPHERE
AND DESCENT THROUGH IT
ARE TACKLED WITH THE SAME SOLUTION.
- HIAD STANDS FOR HYPERSONIC INFLATABLE
AERODYNAMIC DECELERATOR.
WHEN I SAY "HYPERSONIC," THAT'S BECAUSE
THAT'S WHEN YOU'RE GOING REALLY FAST.
SO SUPERSONIC, YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD OF.
HYPERSONIC, YOU'RE ACTUALLY GOING
MORE THAN 5 TIMES THE SPEED OF SOUND
AND OFTEN 10 OR 20 TIMES THE SPEED OF SOUND.
- THEN, OF COURSE, YOU'VE GOT TO SLOW DOWN THE SPACECRAFT
AS IT DESCENDS TO THE PLANETARY SURFACE.
THAT'S WHY RESEARCHERS AT NASA
ARE RETHINKING THE WAY WE ENTER, DESCEND, AND LAND AT MARS.
- A HIAD IS AN INFLATED HEAT SHIELD
THAT, BY DESIGN, IS LOOKING TO REPLACE RIGID HEAT SHIELDS.
A HEAT SHIELD IS WHAT SAFELY DECELERATES
AND PROTECTS YOUR PAYLOAD.
- WE HAVE ACTUALLY TWO DISTINCT ASSEMBLIES
WITH THE INFLATABLE STRUCTURE,
AND THAT GIVES THE AEROSHELL FORM,
GIVES US THE DRAG AREA
AND SURVIVES THE PRESSURE LOAD OR THE AERODYNAMIC FORCES
THAT ARE BEING APPLIED.
NOW, THE INNER PLY, THE INFLATABLE STRUCTURE,
IT IS INCREDIBLY STRONG.
IT'S A KEVLAR BRAID.
BUT THAT CAN'T SURVIVE THE HEAT OF REENTRY,
SO WE HAVE TO PROTECT IT WITH SOMETHING,
SO WE HAVE A THERMAL PROTECTION SYSTEM.
- THE INTENSE HEAT EXPERIENCED
WHEN MOVING THROUGH AN ATMOSPHERE
MEANS THAT THE SPACECRAFT
NEEDS SOME KIND OF THERMAL PROTECTION SYSTEM,
WHETHER THAT'S THE CERAMIC TILES ON THE SHUTTLE
OR THE BLUNT-BODY HEAT SHIELD
ON CAPSULES FROM MERCURY TO APOLLO
AND ON THE MARS SCIENCE LABORATORY.
- WHEN WE LAUNCH A MISSION TO MARS OR ANOTHER PLANET,
WE HAVE TO PUT THAT AEROSHELL, THAT DRAG DEVICE,
INSIDE A LAUNCH SHROUD, AND WE'RE LIMITED BY THAT SIZE.
SO WHATEVER SIZE ROCKET WE'RE ON,
THAT'S AS BIG AS WE CAN MAKE THE AEROSHELL.
THE IDEA IS TO DEPLOY SOMETHING BIGGER.
- CHECK OUT THIS PHYSICAL MAP OF MARS.
COLORS ARE USED TO SHOW THE RELIEF,
OR THE DIFFERENCES IN LAND ELEVATION.
SEE THOSE RED "X"s?
THAT'S WHERE WE'VE PREVIOUSLY LANDED SPACECRAFT
ON THE RED PLANET.
NOTICE ANYTHING ABOUT WHERE THEY LANDED?
THEY'RE ALL IN BLUE AND GREEN AREAS,
WHICH ARE BELOW WHAT WAS THE MARTIAN SEA LEVEL.
YOU SEE, MARS HAS A REALLY THIN ATMOSPHERE
COMPARED TO EARTH'S,
SO THERE'S NOT ENOUGH DRAG FORCE
TO SLOW A SPACECRAFT SUFFICIENTLY.
SO RIGHT NOW, WE'RE NOT ABLE TO LAND
IN ALL OF THIS AREA IN BLACK,
BECAUSE WE CAN'T GET THE SPACECRAFT
TO A SLOW ENOUGH SPEED TO LAND SAFELY.
BUT THERE IS A LOT OF SCIENTIFIC INTEREST
IN THESE AREAS.
FOR EXAMPLE, THERE'S EVIDENCE
OF GEOLOGICALLY RECENT
SURFACE WATER ACTIVITY IN THIS AREA,
WHICH MAKES IT PARTICULARLY INTERESTING
TO NASA GEOLOGISTS AND ASTROBIOLOGISTS ALIKE.
SO WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO STUDY THIS REGION, BUT HOW?
- SO GOING INTO THE MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE
IS PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT BECAUSE IT'S A THIN ATMOSPHERE.
IT'S WHAT I CALL A POOR EXCUSE FOR AN ATMOSPHERE.
SO YOU'RE TRYING TO GO FROM A VERY HIGH VELOCITY,
5 1/2 TO 7 1/2 KILOMETERS A SECOND,
AND GET DOWN TO WHERE YOU CAN SURVIVE THE LANDING.
RIGHT NOW, THOUGH, WITH MSL, LANDING THAT METRIC TON
AT BELOW WHAT WAS SEA LEVEL AT MARS,
WE'RE BASICALLY AT THE LIMIT.
IF WE WANTED TO GO TAKE THAT SAME ROVER
TO A HIGHER ALTITUDE, WHERE WE'VE SEEN EVIDENCE
OF FAIRLY RECENT SURFACE WATER ACTIVITY,
IF WE WANTED TO TAKE THAT ROVER TO THOSE ALTITUDES,
WE CAN'T DO IT WITH CURRENT TECHNOLOGY.
A HIAD, THOUGH, WE CAN GO LARGER,
AND WITH THAT SAME MASS, A LARGER AEROSHELL,
WE DECELERATE AT HIGHER ALTITUDES,
AND WE CAN GET TO THOSE HIGHER-ALTITUDE LOCATIONS.
- BUT MARS ISN'T THE ONLY DESTINATION
WITH A CHALLENGING ATMOSPHERE AND LANDING CONDITIONS.
THERE ARE PLANETS AND MOONS THROUGHOUT OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
THAT SCIENTISTS WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS,
AND HIAD TECHNOLOGIES COULD MAKE THAT POSSIBLE.
- I SEE HIADs AS BEING A GOOD DOOR OPENER FOR NASA
FOR FUTURE EXPLORATION OF PLANETARY BODIES
TO HELP US BRING THOSE MORE ADVANCED
ROBOTIC ROVERS AND EXPLORERS
AND ALSO ENABLING HUMAN EXPLORATION
OF PLANETS IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.
ONE POTENTIAL APPLICATION FOR HIAD
IS TO USE THEM WITH THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
TO BRING CARGO BACK TO EARTH.
RIGHT NOW, CARGO SUCH AS EQUIPMENT,
OLDER EQUIPMENT OR ANY EQUIPMENT
THAT WE'D LIKE TO GET OUR HANDS BACK ON,
IT'S DIFFICULT FOR US TO BRING BACK
BECAUSE OF THE SIZE.
AND HIADs WILL ENABLE THAT MASS AND THOSE DEVICES
TO BE SAFELY BROUGHT BACK TO EARTH.
- AND ONE OF THE OTHER AREAS IS ACCESS TO SPACE.
WE'RE ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT LOW-COST ACCESS TO SPACE.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S BEEN THE DRIVER SINCE THE '70s IS,
HOW DO WE GET MORE STUFF TO SPACE AT A CHEAPER PRICE?
LAUNCH VEHICLE ASSET RECOVERY
IS ANOTHER AREA WE WOULD LIKE TO LOOK AT.
IF YOU COULD BRING BACK THE SOLAR PANELS, THE COMPUTERS,
THE TANKS, ALL THESE THINGS AND REUSE THEM--
BECAUSE MOST OF THESE THINGS CAN BE USED MULTIPLE TIMES.
AND SO A HIAD COULD BE PART OF THAT SOLUTION.
- HIADs SAVE SPACE, MASS, AND MONEY,
MAKING THIS INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY EVEN MORE APPEALING.
REMEMBER THAT MAP OF MARS?
WITH A HIAD SYSTEM,
ALL THE AREA THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY OFF-LIMITS
COULD NOW BE WITHIN REACH.
ENTRY, DESCENT, AND LANDING:
FOR THOSE DESTINATIONS WITH ATMOSPHERES,
GETTING A SPACECRAFT THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE
SO IT CAN ACTUALLY LAND ON THE PLANET'S SURFACE
DICTATES MUCH OF THE ENGINEERING THAT GOES INTO THE MISSION.
THAT'S NASA, TAKING US TO NEW HEIGHTS.
SEE YOU NEXT TIME ON "REAL WORLD."