The ADEPT project is a new, advanced heat shield design to protect payloads and landers delivered to planetary bodies with atmospheres. ADEPT is a mechanically deployable heatshield, like an umbrella, that can open up at planet arrival to diameters 2-5 times greater than current rigid heatshields. This large size overcomes the current limitations of NASA's heatshields to enable delivery of 10s of metric tons to Mars' surface - essential for human exploration.
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