Orbital skydives to follow inflatable heatshield success? "NASA has announced a successful live test of a prototype inflatable heat shield for re-entry to a planet's atmosphere. The blow-up shield could have important implications for future missions to Mars - and also, perhaps, for the nascent field of orbital spacesuit skydiving."
posted by homunculus on Aug 20, 2009 - 27 comments

Blast into Space, Spectacular Fall to Earth {SYTL}
posted by mattoxic on Jul 7, 2009 - 45 comments

Video of the destructive reentry into the atmosphere of the Automated Transfer Vehicle back from its trip to the ISS.
posted by Catfry on Sep 30, 2008 - 53 comments