A flying saucer could one day help a manned mission to Mars make a gentle landing on the surface of the Red Planet.
NASA showed off its Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator today during a live broadcast from its Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Weighing in at 7,000 pounds and measuring 15 feet wide, the spacecraft underwent a spin test on a table to show off its capability...
After today's test, the next step for the vehicle will be in June when it will blast off on a test into near-space from the Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii, NASA officials said.
Testing the vehicle in the thin air of Earth's stratosphere this summer is the nearest "local" test to see how the flying saucer fares in Martian-like conditions.