How Do Spacecraft Slow Down? We Asked a NASA Technologist

How do spacecraft slow down? Rigid heat shields andretropropulsion have been the favorites of engineersfor years. Now NASA is testing a new inflatable heatshield technology that could allow us to carry evenlarger payloads to worlds with atmospheres.

Launching on Nov. 1 aboard a United Launch AllianceAtlas V rocket along with NOAA's JPSS-2 mission, theLow-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an InflatableDecelerator, or LOFTID, will demonstrate the heatshield's ability to slow down and survive atmospheric