Skip to main content
VIDEOS
Our World
(Grades 3-5)
Real World
(Grades 5-8)
Launchpad
(Grades 9-12)
Ask SME
Close-up with a NASA Subject Matter Expert
NASA Spotlites
Student Productions
Subject Matter Experts as Educators (SME2)
Student Productions
NASA eClipsTM at Home
EDUCATOR GUIDES
Grades K-5
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12
Guide Lites
(3-18 Years old)
Engineering Design Packets
Spotlite Interactive Lessons
EDUCATOR RESOURCES
V.A.L.U.E. Bundles
Best Practices in Education
Newsletters
Virtual Vocabulary
Engineering
Recursos en Español
STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES
Spotlite Design Challenge
ABOUT
Meet the Team
Awards
FAQ
Contact Us
FEATURED
Launchpad: Descent and Landing - It's a Matter of Control
Launchpad: Apollo 11 - Challenges of Landing on the Moon
Launchpad: Apollo 11 - History in the Making
Launchpad: Astrobiology
Launchpad: Atmosphere and Optical Telescopes
Launchpad: Bernoulli's Principle On-Board the International Space Station
Launchpad: Biofeedback
Launchpad: Clouds and Earth's Radiation Budget
Launchpad: Cohesion and Adhesion On-Board the International Space Station
Launchpad: Contrails
Launchpad: Cryogenics - The Cold Hard Facts
Launchpad: Cryogenics in Transportation
Launchpad: Curiosity Goes to Mars
Launchpad: Data Loggers
Launchpad: Descent and Landing - It's a Matter of Control
Launchpad: Engineering Design to Support Scientific Discovery
Launchpad: Fluid Dynamics - What a Drag!
Launchpad: Food Availability for the Mission to Mars
Launchpad: Food for Thought
Launchpad: Gigapan
Launchpad: History, Benefits, and Safety of Radioisotope Power Systems
Launchpad: ICESat-2 - Next Generation Technology
Launchpad: Infrared Astronomy on Mauna Kea
Launchpad: Kepler
Launchpad: Life Cycle of a Star
Launchpad: Light Detection and Ranging
Launchpad: Mapping the Boundaries of Our Solar System
Launchpad: Maps
Launchpad: Methane - An Indicator for Life?
Launchpad: Methane on Mars
Launchpad: Mission Infusion - A Look at What's Ahead
Launchpad: Moon Magic
Launchpad: NASA and Biosphere 2
Launchpad: NASA in 3D
Launchpad: NASA Technologies Helping Firefighters
Launchpad: NASA Technologies Used to Treat Acne and Orthodontics
Launchpad: NASA's History of Winter Program
Launchpad: NASA's Space Shuttle - A Workhorse in Action
Launchpad: Neon Lights - Spectroscopy in Action
Launchpad: New Horizons Covers the Distance
Launchpad: New Horizons Heads Towards Pluto
Launchpad: Newton's Laws On-Board the International Space Station
Launchpad: Night Shining Clouds
Launchpad: Phase Diagrams and Why You Cannot Make a Snowball on Mars
Launchpad: Pumping Up the Volume
Launchpad: SAGE III Goes to the International Space Station
Launchpad: Solar Eclipses
Launchpad: Space Age Technologies Measure Soil Moisture
Launchpad: Spinoffs - Technology Benefits For All
Launchpad: Surface Tension On-Board the International Space Station
Launchpad: Systems Science
Launchpad: The Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope
Launchpad: The Heat Is On!
Launchpad: The Lighter Side
Launchpad: The Search for Exoplanets
Launchpad: The Shuttle Experience
Launchpad: Thin Ice - Looking at Birefringence
Launchpad: Transits
Launchpad: Using Technology to Make Discoveries on Mars
Launchpad: Wave Motion
Launchpad: What Are Radioisotope Power Systems?
Launchpad: Aurora Lights: Why They Exist and What Causes Them

Launchpad: Descent and Landing - It's a Matter of Control

Play video - Launchpad: Descent and Landing - It's a Matter of Control
Description

See how a diverse research team at NASA Langley is using what they know about aerodynamics to tackle the problems of entry, descent, and landing on any world with an atmosphere. Learn how NASA's Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) Team uses center of gravity to steer the vehicle and a unique inflatable heat shield to slow it down.

Published on: July 19, 2012

Download High Def. Video
Download Caption File
NOTE: Download Caption file and link it in your player to get caption in the video.

Related Links

Background Information

Activities

NASA, NIA, eClips, Launchpad, High School, Video, Education, Mathematics, Technology, Science, Engineering, HIAD, exploration, inflatable, hypersonic, heat shield, center of gravity, trim tabs, passive control, active control, ballast, aerodynamics, aerosh