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Inflatable Spaceship Ready for Test
colonist writes "Nature reports that an inflatable re-entry vehicle could one day carry astronauts or robots to the surface of Earth or Mars. The heat shield (that can withstand 900 C) and the parachute are inflatable. The advantage of inflatable structures is weight: a 130 kg vehicle can carry about 200 kg of cargo back from the space station. The vehicle is made by Return and Rescue Space Systems."
Nature reports that an inflatable re-entry vehicle could one day carry astronauts or robots to the surface of Earth or Mars
Well, hey if they can do this, I'm gonna go ahead and use my water wings to go down Niagra Falls!
It's my dream to one day, science and god willing, successfully land on the surface of the earth.
The same thing that happens in cartoons - it will make a farting noise and zip back and forth until it stops, at which point it will realize that it is not obeying the law of gravity, say "Yipes" and fall.
A fine is a tax you pay for doing wrong and a tax is a fine you pay for doing all right.
"It's the heat shields that are inflatable, and they are armored - e.g. not the same material as your pool floats..."
It's only a matter of time before ThinkGeek starts selling pool floats made from orbital re-entry material.