NASA IRVE-3 Successful. Orbital Re-Entry @ 7,600 mph Possible (Video)

NASA has been experimenting the inflatable re-entry mechanisms for a long time now and the success of Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment would make the space-crafts to re-enter the Earth's orbit at super-sonic speeds ( ~ 7600 mph ) surviving the high heat during the descent. NASA engineers test fired the rocket at 7:01 a.m. Monday from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va. After about 6 minutes of flight, the 680 pound inflatable aeroshell (heat shield) along with the payload detached itself from the rocket at an altitude of about 280 miles over the Atlantic Ocean.

NASA Engineers Testing IRVE-3 Hardware | Image Credit: NASA/ Sean Smith
The inflation system injected Nitrogen into the heat shield until it acquired the shape of 10 ft wide mushroom. Four on-board cameras kept the ground engineers in control of the whole process. The pressure and temperature data was continuously logged using on-board sensors and information collected by the on-board equipment is currently being studied. The whole experiment lasted for about 20 minutes and a high speed US Navy boat is currently in the process of retrieving the IRVE-3. Check out the video that shows IRVE-3 in action and NASA engineers speak about the problem it solves.



The IRVE-3 is a part of NASA's ambitious Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) project. which will be a game changer in NASA's aero-space programs. More information about this project can be obtained HIAD (Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator) | NASA.