Space agencies have performed a dazzling aerial feat at both Venus and Mars: they’ve dipped an incoming spacecraft into the planets’ atmospheres to slow it down without wasting precious rocket fuel.

It is clear from past mission studies that a manned Mars mission, as well as deep space planetary orbiters will require aerobraking and aerocapture which use ...

Direct comparisons were made between aerocapture and competing orbit insertion techniques based on state-of-the-art and advanced chemical propulsion, solar electric propulsion, and aerobraking.

Two towers, 212 mirrors and new technology for space travel will take center stage at live tests that will give news media a first-hand look at cost-saving NASA technology. The In-Space Propulsion ...

Advanced aerocapture technologies promise to reduce the complexity and launch masses of propulsion systems for future planetary exploration spacecraft by exploiting the braking capabilities provided ...

NASA recently selected Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. to pursue advances in ballute aerocapture, an in-space propulsion innovation. Ball Aerospace was one of 15 organizations chosen to pursue 22 ...

WHAT A DRAG Advanced aerocapture technology could help NASA trim the fuel needed to get scientific probes into orbit around targets like Neptune and Titan that have atmospheres. To that end, the ...