NASA Gets Ready to Launch Its Flying Saucer

Even though the weather conditions aren't ideal, NASA is going ahead with preparations for Wednesday's launch of a rocket-powered test vehicle that looks like a flying saucer and could blaze a trail for future Mars landings.

'At present, weather forecasted for tomorrow morning is close, but not within launch parameters,' NASA spokesman Shannon Ridinger said in an email Tuesday evening. 'Mission managers will evaluate latest weather conditions again early tomorrow morning, to confirm favorable conditions.'

Wednesday's launch window extends from 2:15 to 3 p.m. ET Wednesday.

NASA's test of the Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator, or LDSD, already has been delayed four times in the past eight days because of unfavorable winds. If the test doesn't go ahead on Wednesday, the last launch opportunity on the schedule comes on Saturday.

If the test does go ahead, the 15-foot-wide (4.7-meter-wide) LDSD would be sent up from the U.S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii, to try out an innovative system designed to slow down spacecraft as they hurtle through the air at supersonic speeds.

The saucer-shaped craft would rise to an altitude of 120,000 feet at the end of a helium balloon. Then it would light up its solid-fueled rocket engine, blast itself up to a height of 180,000 feet and begin its descent at a speed of Mach 3.8 or so.

A coated Kevlar 'inner tube' would inflate, increasing the LDSD's diameter to 20 feet (6 meters). The resulting atmospheric drag should slow the craft's descent to a speed of Mach 2.5, which would allow for the deployment of a 100-foot-wide (30.5-meter-wide) parachute. The LDSD should then drift safely into the Pacific Ocean for recovery.

NASA plans to air coverage of the test on NASA TV and online.

The LDSD test is aimed at duplicating the conditions that Mars-bound spacecraft would face during atmospheric entry and descent. The test vehicle looks like a flying saucer simply because that's the shape used for the actual spacecraft. If the system works as NASA hopes, future missions would be able to send much heavier payloads to Mars - including the tons of stuff that astronauts would need.

For further background on the LDSD test, check out last week's preview. And to get the latest word, check in with the project's website.

First published June 10 2014, 6:54 PM

Alan Boyle

Alan Boyle is the science editor for NBC News Digital. He joined MSNBC.com at its inception in July 1996, and took on the science role in July 1997 with the landing of NASA's Mars Pathfinder probe. Boyle is responsible for coverage of science and space for NBCNews.com.Boyle joined NBCNews.com from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, where he was the foreign desk editor from 1987 to 1996. Boyle has won awards for science journalism from numerous organizations, including the National Academies, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Association of Science Writers. Boyle is the author of 'The Case for Pluto: How a Little Planet Made a Big Difference.' He lives in Bellevue, Wash.

Entities 0 Name: NASA Count: 7 1 Name: Boyle Count: 4 2 Name: LDSD Count: 3 3 Name: American Association for the Advancement of Science Count: 1 4 Name: Pacific Ocean Count: 1 5 Name: Bellevue Count: 1 6 Name: National Association of Science Writers Count: 1 7 Name: Shannon Ridinger Count: 1 8 Name: Hawaii Count: 1 9 Name: Seattle Post-Intelligencer Count: 1 10 Name: Pluto Count: 1 11 Name: NBC News Digital Count: 1 12 Name: Kauai Count: 1 13 Name: Alan Boyle Alan Boyle Count: 1 14 Name: National Academies Count: 1 15 Name: U.S. Navy Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1qjioQf Title: NASA Delays 'Flying Saucer' Test Launch Until Wednesday Description: This artist's concept shows the test vehicle for NASA's Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD), designed to test landing technologies for future Mars missions.

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