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We’re testing a new way of landing on Mars… by crashing into its surface. The Simplified High Impact Energy Landing Device (SHIELD) is a lander concept being tested at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It could one day provide a new way for low-cost missions to land on Mars. Rather than rely on parachutes or retrorockets, SHIELD would include a collapsible, accordion-like base to absorb the energy of a landing. A full-size prototype of the base was tested on Aug. 12, 2022. The prototype was hurled at the ground from the top of a nearly 90-foot-tall (27-meter-tall) drop tower at JPL. A steel plate ensured the impact was even harder than what would be experienced on Mars. The design worked: After crushing against the steel plate at 110 mph (177 kph), several electronic components inside the SHIELD prototype, including a smartphone, survived the impact. Stay tuned for more space related videos!

How do spacecraft slow down? Rigid heat shields and retropropulsion have been the favorites of engineers for years. Now NASA is testing a new inflatable heat shield technology that could allow us to carry even larger payloads to worlds with atmosphere Subscribe to our channel for more interesting NASA videos!

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover is filling sample tubes with rocky material on the Red Planet as the agency works on the next steps to get them safely back to Earth. The Mars Sample Return campaign would bring samples collected by the Perseverance rover to Earth for detailed study. The campaign involves an international interplanetary relay team, including the European Space Agency (ESA). These samples could answer a key question: did life ever exist on Mars? Aaron Yazzie, who works on the Mars Sample Return campaign, explains the work being done at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to ensure the safe return of the sample tubes. For more information on Mars Sample Return, visit mars.nasa.gov/msr/ Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Paul Smith is a night-sky fanatic and photographer. His obsession is sprites: immense jolts of light that flicker high above thunderstorms. Last October, he guided NASA scientist Dr. Burcu Kosar through the backroads of Oklahoma to catch one herself. Although she’d studied sprites for more than 15 years, she hadn’t yet chased one. Read more about chasing sprites with Paul and Burcu: https://blogs.nasa.gov/sunspot/2022/1... Learn about NASA’s citizen science project Spritacular: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/... Learn about the Heliophysics Big Year: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-sy... Image credits: Paul Smith, Frankie Lucena, Panagiotis Tsouras, Thomas Ashcraft. All imagery of sprites is copyrighted and used with permission. Music credits: “The Beauty Beyond” by Jeremy Noel William Abbott [PRS], Vasco [PRS]; “Outer Orbit” by Alexander Ryder Mcnair [ASCAP], Harry Gregson Williams [BMI], Ho Ling Tang [BMI]; “Wonderful Orbit” by Tom Furse Fairfax Cowan [PRS]; “Starlights” by Marc Teitler [PRS], Vasco [PRS]; “A Tranquil End” by Luke Gordon [PRS]; “Virtual Tidings” by Andrew Michael Britton [PRS], David Stephen Goldsmith [PRS]; “Winter Aurora” by Samuel Karl Bohn [PRS]; “Lava Flow” and “Water Dance” by Ben Niblett [PRS], Jon Cotton [PRS]. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Producer: Joy Ng (KBRwyle) Scientist: Burcu Kosar (Catholic University of America) Photographer: Paul Smith Photographer: Frankie Lucena Photographer: Panagiotis Tsouras Photographer: Thomas Ashcraft Videographer: Joy Ng, Thomas Smith Writer: Lina Tran This video can be freely shared and downloaded at https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14206. While the video in its entirety can be shared without permission, the music and some individual imagery may have been obtained through permission and may not be excised or remixed in other products. Specific details on such imagery may be found here: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14206. For more information on NASA’s media guidelines, visit https://nasa.gov/multimedia/guidelines.

Explore how the NASA and CNES collaboration, the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission, is revolutionizing Earth science to shape a better future. 🌍🚀 SWOT measures water levels in lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and oceans, aiding in flood forecasts and drought monitoring amid the challenges of climate change. In this video, discover real-world applications of SWOT data by experts from Oregon, Alaska, the Department of Defense, and Louisiana Coastal Protection. From flood watches in Portland to safeguarding infrastructure in Alaska, SWOT's impact is far-reaching. Get ready for SWOT's launch in December 2022 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, with contributions from the Canadian Space Agency and UK Space Agency. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) leads the U.S. segment of this game-changing mission. Join us in exploring the future of Earth science with #SWOTMission! Learn more at https://swot.jpl.nasa.gov 🛰️ #NASA #CNES #ClimateChange #WaterManagement #FloodForecasts #DroughtMonitoring #EarthScience #SpaceExploration #ClimateResilience #EnvironmentalScience #SWOTData #NASAJPL