WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. -- <\/p>\n
NASA will launch a rocket to test its next generation of spacecraft heat shields early Monday from its Wallops Island Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore. <\/p>\n
The Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE-3) will be launched on a Black Brant XI sounding rocket and land about 100 miles east of Cape Hatteras, NC. <\/p>\n
The heat shield -- officially called the Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) -- was developed at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton. It looks, according to NASA, like a giant cone of inner tubes assembled like a child's stacking ring toy. <\/p>\n
NASA says the HIAD's reduced weight vs. a conventional heat shield will allow future spacecraft to carry heavier payloads. It also could allow NASA to return payloads from the International Space Station.<\/p>\n
The launch window on Monday for all rockets, including several to test tracking systems and gather atmospheric data, is 5 to 8 a.m., according to NASA. The launch window for the IRVE-3 is 7 to 7:40 a.m. <\/p>\n
The rocket will be visible to residents in the Wallops and the southern Chesapeake Bay region, NASA says. <\/p>\n
The visitor center at Wallops will open at 4:30 a.m. Monday for those interested in viewing the launch. <\/p>\n
More information on this mission -- including how to view the launch on the Internet and following the countdown on Twitter and Facebook -- is available at http:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wallops<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n See original here:<\/p>\n NASA to launch rocket from Va. on Monday<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. -- NASA will launch a rocket to test its next generation of spacecraft heat shields early Monday from its Wallops Island Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore. The Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE-3) will be launched on a Black Brant XI sounding rocket and land about 100 miles east of Cape Hatteras, NC Continue reading