Video: NASA testing 'Wireless in space' devices for returning spacecraft to Earth

Washington : The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA) space agency recently launched a Technology Educational Satellite or TechEdSat-6 into the space. The parachute like device will help in making advanced communications and build wireless network in space, helping in making a safe return of small spacecraft to Earth.

TechEdSat-6 was launched in low-Earth orbit from the NanoRacks platform on November 20; aimed at various wireless sensor experiments, the device will be indulged into self-powered tests, expanding the capabilities of sensor networks for future ascent or re-entry systems.

"The Exo-Brake’s shape can be changed to vary the drag on the satellite. With the help of high-fidelity simulations, we will demonstrate a low-cost, propellant-less method of returning small payloads quickly, and to fairly precise locations, for retrieval," said Michelle Munk, NASA’s System Capability Lead for Entry, Descent and Landing. "We are excited about tracking TechEdSat-6 as it re-enters the atmosphere."

The device will be bringing sample blocks from the space station to test how effective it is; which will be later tested on small spacecrafts.

The Exo-Brake is funded by the Entry Systems Modeling project within the Space Technology Mission Directorate’s Game Changing Development program. Additional funding for the Exo-Brake is provided by NASA's Ames Research Centre in California's Silicon Valley and the agency's Engineering and Safety Centre in Hampton, Virginia.

The TechEdSat series is a science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, collaborative activity that involves NASA early-career employees, interns and students from several universities.