NASA demonstrates next-generation heat shield technologies
NASA is testing next-generation heat shield materials by attaching experimental capsules to waste-carrying spacecraft before they reenter the atmosphere. The KREPE-3 project, a collaboration with the University of Kentucky, aims to gather critical thermal data for future moon and Mars missions.
Why it matters
This cost-effective testing method provides essential data for protecting spacecraft and astronauts during high-speed atmospheric reentry.
edited by Gaby Clark , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add to Preferred Sources A KREPE-3 capsule floats inside the Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL 24 cargo spacecraft on October 7. Inside the capsule is a 3-D printed heat shield designed by researchers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Credit: NASA NASA is taking an unusual approach to testing heat shields that can keep astronauts safe as they return from missions to the moon and Mars: taking out the trash.
When Northrop Grumman's 24 th cargo resupply mission for NASA undocked from the International Space Station, it carried a fleet of 12 small, experimental capsules designed to test the next generation of thermal protection materials that could serve as the foundation for future heat shields.
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