Space Technology: Back On Earth

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is at the forefront of technological development for use in space travel and exploration. However, many of the innovations that are developed by, or in collaboration with, NASA are actually used a lot closer to home as well – we take a look at some of NASA's technologies which have really taken-off here on Earth.

Aerogels: outer space to outerwear

Traditionally, NASA has used hard aeroshells for delivering payloads, such as rovers, to other planets. These generate drag to slow the payloads in descent, while also acting as heat shields for atmospheric re-entry. 

In order to successfully land larger instruments, and potentially humans, on planets such as Mars, NASA has been exploring a new approach: the hypersonic inflatable aerodynamic decelerator (HIAD). Unlike fixed aeroshells, the HIAD can be folded up and stored in the spacecraft during flight before being inflated into an umbrella-shaped decelerator to