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.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/California Academy of Sciences
#NASAInsights
#SpaceDiscoveries
#StellarObservation
#SpaceGeek
#NASACommunity
#AstroExploration
#RocketScience
#UniverseWonders
#CosmicJourney
#BlackHoles
#CelestialBodies
#ScienceInSpace
#Astronauts
#GalacticWonders
#PlanetExploration
#SpaceFacts
#AstronomyNews
#StarGazing
#AlienWorlds
#spaceadventures
#NASA
#SpaceExploration
#Astronomy
#SpaceScience
#SpaceMissions
#Astrophysics
#RocketLaunch
#CosmicWonders
#OuterSpace
#SpaceTechnology
#EarthObservation
#MarsExploration
#InternationalSpaceStation
#MoonLanding
#HubbleSpaceTelescope
#Exoplanets
#Astrobiology
#SpaceResearch
#Galaxies
#spacephotos
#Trending
#Viral
#Popular
#YouTube
#Video
#Entertainment
#WatchNow
#Subscribe
#Views
#Like
#Comment
#Share
#Explore
#Creators
#Content
#Discover
#Entertainment
#TrendingNow
#MustWatch
#SubscribeNow
#BestOfYouTube
#TopTrending
#YouTubeCreators
#YouTubeLife
#YouTubeVlogger
#YouTubeStar
#YouTubeChannel
#YouTubeVideo
#YouTubeGaming
#YouTubeMusic
#YouTubeInfluencer
#YouTubeFamous
#YouTubeContent
#YouTubeWatch
#YouTubeViews
#YouTubeSubscribers
#YouTubeCommunity
#YouTubeUpload
#YouTubeExplore
#YouTubeEntertainment
source