14 DAY TRIAL // In late June, NASA announced that technology expected to one day deliver astronauts to Mars had successfully been tested at a base on the island of Kauai in Hawaii.
Some time after this announcement, the Administration released a video detailing its so-called “flying saucer” test flight, which was carried out on June 28. The video in question is available below.
This test boiled down to sending a test vehicle to an altitude of 120,000 feet (36,576 meters) with the help of a special balloon, and then having a motor propel it to an altitude of 30 miles (48.28 kilometers) at supersonic speeds.
After completing this journey, the test vehicle was slowed down with the help of a parachute and a doughnut-like tube around it, and returned to Earth. It landed in the ocean, but was recovered shortly by NASA scientists.
“The goal of this experimental flight test, the first of three planned for the project, was to determine if the balloon-launched, rocket-powered, saucer-shaped, design could reach the altitudes and airspeeds needed to test two new breakthrough technologies destined for future Mars missions.”
“The LDSD cross-cutting demonstration mission tested breakthrough technologies that will enable large payloads to be safely landed on the surface of Mars and allow access to more of the planet's surface by enabling landings at higher altitude sites,” NASA says.
Check out the video below to get a better idea of what NASA's test vehicle was up to during its experimental flight in Hawaii on June 28. Be warned though: you might get dizzy just by looking at this footage.
