How Do Spacecraft Slow Down? We Asked a NASA Technologist

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 atmospheres:
https://www.nasa.gov/loftid
Launching on Nov. 1 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket
along with NOAA's JPSS-2 mission, the Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of
an Inflatable Decelerator, or LOFTID, will demonstrate the heat
shield's ability to slow down and survive atmospheric entry:
https://go.nasa.gov/3N7yzBG
Producers: Scott Bednar, Jessica Wilde
Editor: Daniel Salazar
Credit: NASA
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