NASA Tests Cutting-Edge Heat Shield Technology

Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator, or LOFTID, is the next flight mission of the HIAD (inflatable heat shields) technology. HIAD is on the cutting-edge cusp of heat shields and NASA Langley researchers recently tested the LOFTID HIAD by doing a blow down test to measure gas intake.

[@ScottJWaldron]

Very cool. :) In the related article it's interesting that the Curiosity Rover's weight was near the limit of existing Mars landing technologies.

[@willemvandebeek]

Could this work in combination with Cubesats?