On Wednesday, NASA will be launching a UFO-like saucer-shaped spacecraft. This marks the second of three tests for the craft. The vehicle, dubbed the “Low Density Supersonic Decelerator,” or LDSD, is meant to be a tester for the sort of roomy spacecraft needed for future manned Mars missions. The LDSD is set to launch from a pad off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii. It will be lifted to the stratosphere by a huge, high-altitude weather balloon. The LDSD will decouple from the balloon at an altitude of over twenty miles, and reach speeds up to Mach 4, or four times the speed of sound.
Original date of launch pushed back to Wednesday by rough seas.
The LSDS was originally supposed to be launched on Tuesday, but was set back to Wednesday due to unfavorable ocean conditions. NASA will need to recover the craft once it splashes down, so the agency can not risk rough ocean conditions. If all goes right and conditions are favorable, the launch will happen Wednesday, June 2nd, although nothing is fully set in stone.
Flying saucer shape is a great design for multiple reasons.
The main advantage to the shape of the spacecraft is its ability to carry a large number of crew members and cargo space-efficiently. The craft will also feature the largest parachute ever tested for use on Mars, the Supersonic Ringsail parachute. This new ‘chute is needed to slow down spacecraft that’s been growing in size and weight over the years, as the vehicles need to carry more supplies and humans. Previous parachute design had been left essentially unchanged since the NASA Viking Program that put two landers on Mars in 1976, so this new type of parachute is a big deal.
What does the future hold for the flying saucer?
The LDSD is slated for one more, final test launch after this one. The test is meant to take place in mid-2016. Future iterations of the spacecraft may grow larger and heavier, in order to be able to carry the supplies that will ultimately sustain a crew for an extended period of time on Mars, not to mention exploration and test equipment.
