By Carl Engelking, Source: Discover Magazine

In an effort to design spacecraft tailored for missions to Mars, scientists at NASA are taking a page right out of your run-of-the-mill science fiction novel: The space agency is preparing to test a flying saucer.

Technically, NASA’s new toy is called the Low Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD), and scientists plan to test-drive the craft Thursday in Hawaii. (Other potential launch dates include June 7, 9, 11, and 14.) The LDSD will collect data about landing heavy payloads on Mars and other planetary surfaces.

Rising High and Falling

Scientists will use a gigantic helium balloon — about as large as the Rose Bowl when fully inflated — to float the LDSD to an altitude of about 23 miles above the islands. Then, the balloon and vehicle will separate, signaling four small motors to fire and gyroscopically stabilize the saucer. After that, a larger rocket engine will kick in and propel the craft into the stratosphere at a clip four times the speed of sound.

Read the rest at: Discover Magazine