NASA is testing new heat shield materials in an unusual way: by sending them home with the trash. When a Northrop Grumman cargo spacecraft left the International Space Station, it carried 12 small experimental capsules. The experiment, called KREPE-3, uses the final moments of the cargo ship's life to collect valuable data. University of Kentucky students designed the capsules, which carry sensors for temperature, pressure, motion, magnetic field, and light.
Before departure, astronauts packed the spacecraft with waste and switched on the capsules. As the vehicle breaks apart in the atmosphere, the capsules eject and begin recording how each set of materials performs during re-entry. Satellite links send the data to researchers in real time. Some capsules carry proven materials, such as the ceramic tiles used on the space shuttle. Others test new ideas, including a 3D-printed heat shield. A NASA engineer said this is a clever way to collect real flight data on materials not yet finished. The results could help protect future cargo and crews returning from the Moon and Mars.