NORFOLK, Va. - Devising a way to one day land astronauts on Mars is a complex problem and NASA scientists think something as simple as a child's toy design might help solve the problem. Safely landing ...

The first (and smallest) torus for the 10-meter aeroshell NASA is developing with ULA, sitting on top of the six-meter LOFTID aeroshell that completed its mission in November 2022. Credit: NASA Space ...

NASA successfully tested an inflatable heat shield prototype Monday (July 23), a technology that could one day be used for future space exploration missions, including landing humans on Mars, its ...

The path for humans to Mars could be paved by University at Buffalo students. A team of five UB student engineers developed plans for a massive inflatable heat shield designed to protect spacecraft – ...

For example, an inflatable heat shield would not add as much to the initial launch mass, and they could be used to safely land components like ULA's Vulcan rocket engines for reuse. The LOFTID ...

WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. — NASA says a successful small-scale test of an inflatable heat shield holds promise for future planetary missions. The Inflatable Re-entry Vehicle Experiment was launched Monday ...