Umbrella-Like Heat Shield to Help NASA Deliver Bigger Cargo to Deep Space

NASA’ s Adaptable Deployable Entry Placement Technology (ADEPT) is a foldable device that opens like an umbrella to make a round, rigid heat shield, called an aeroshell. This game-changing technology could squeeze a heat shield into a rocket with a diameter larger than the rocket itself. The design may someday deliver much larger payloads to planetary surfaces than is currently possible.