Blunt body, rigid aeroshells are efficient, reliable aeroshells that have been used successfully for atmospheric flight in the earth, Mars, and other planetary environments. However, the size of blunt, rigid body aeroshells is limited by launch vehicle payload size and volume constraints, which limits the mass and volume such aeroshells can accommodate. Aeroshells that can be enlarged after release from the launch vehicle would overcome these size constraints. Solving this problem is particularly important for entry, descent, and landing (EDL) on the Mars surface because of the very low Mars atmospheric density, especially for the very large masses and volumes required for human Mars missions. Also, return of cargo from the International Space Station (ISS) could be enhanced by use of spacecraft that minimize the mass and volume necessary to launch such vehicles to the ISS. Other potential applications are returning cargo from the moon, earth aerocapture of translunar injections stages for servicing and later reuse, and as deployable devices for aerodynamically stabilizing the Crew Exploration Vehicle following launch abort. This paper discusses inflatable aeroshell flight experiences, assessment of inflatable aeroshell concepts for several aeroassist applications, and planned flight demonstrations of inflatable aeroshells.
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