A team at the Arnold Engineering Development Center’s Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel facility in Silver Spring, Md., has successfully completed atmospheric entry testing of a key component to the Mars Science Laboratory—due to be launched in 2009 for its seven-month trip to Mars. The team tested the aeroshell configuration of the MSL, which is an instrumentation suite carried aboard a rover that officials say is much larger than previous vehicles sent to the “Red Planet.” The aeroshell will provide a protective covering for the MSL during entry into the Martian atmosphere. The wind tunnel test used nitrogen to simulate the Martian atmosphere, which is far less dense than Earth’s.
The Space Force is playing a key role in planning for “Golden Dome,” President Donald Trump’s initiative for comprehensive air and missile defense of the homeland, leaders said this week. But actually building and fielding the ambitious idea will require a major concerted effort across the Pentagon and intelligence community.