NASA HIAD

A giant cone of inner tubes stacked together may someday help cargo, or even people, land on another planet or return to Earth. NASA calls the spacecraft technology HIAD - Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator. Learn the challenges NASA faces as it works to develop an inflatable spacecraft. Choose the right shape, materials and trajectory to use a HIAD to bring cargo back from space. To successfully guide an inflatable spacecraft through the super heat of atmospheric re-entry requires the right stuff. If you inflate too early, your shape is incorrect or your material isn’t strong enough - you burn up. And if you get all that right and miss the target the mission is a bust. Try your hand at landing a HIAD and become a rocket scientist. Advance through all stages at each of the four levels, collecting up to three stars for each successful landing. The HIAD game challenges players to successfully land a HIAD after launching from the International Space Station and arriving at a target ground point on Earth. To successfully reach the target, players must: • Undock from the ISS and use thruster control to steer the spacecraft towards the desired de-orbit point • Inflate the HIAD aeroshell to reduce velocity and protect the payload from the heat of atmospheric re-entry • Steer the inflated HIAD to the ground target prior to parachute deployment, taking into account the prevailing winds • Customize the HIAD vehicle to achieve different performance characteristics to improve results FEATURES • Multiple spacecraft configurations and options • Speed and trajectory controls • In-game introduction • Four levels of engineering mastery • Locked levels • Scoring for each level • Help section • Links to related website