GMAO supports first ASPIRE launch
10.05.2017
The GMAO provided customized forecast support for the launch of a suborbital rocket from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in support of the Advanced Supersonic Parachute Inflation Research Experiment (ASPIRE) on October 4 at 6:45am EDT. The mission team used data from the GEOS-FP system to help determine the precise moment to trigger the deployment of the parachute, which is being tested for use in future missions to Mars, including the Mars 2020 Rover mission.
The high-altitude deployment of this parachute from a rocket in the Earth's atmosphere simulates the thin Martian atmosphere that will be encountered when descending to the surface of Mars with a science payload. GMAO will continue to support ASPIRE launches every two months for the next year.
Photos from NASA Wallops Flight Facility Twitter Feed
