Chute Did Not Fully Deploy, Data Being Analyzed

NASA’s Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) project completed its second flight test when the saucer-shaped craft splashed down safely Monday in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the Hawaiian island of Kauai Monday.

NASA said in a news release that two experimental decelerator technologies – a supersonic inflatable aerodynamic decelerator and a supersonic parachute – were tested. The supersonic inflatable aerodynamic decelerator deployed and inflated. The supersonic parachute also deployed; however, it did not perform as expected. Data were obtained on the performance of both innovative braking technologies, and the teams are beginning to study the data.

NASAspaceflight.com reports that the test was still considered a success. The LDSD was carried to 120,000 feet by a large balloon and released. The four rocket motors designed to spin the disc to give it gyroscopic stability fired as expected, as did the main rocket motor which carried the disk to 180,000 feet. The  Supersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (SAID) deployed nominally, slowing the disk form Mach 3.8 to Mach 2.5.

But as with the last test, the parachute failed to fully deploy. While that was not so much of a concern for the first test, it was one of the major test parameters following a redesign of the parachute system.

NASA is still analyzing the data to determine its next steps in the program.

(Images provided by NASA)

FMI: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/tdm/ldsd/index.html