Badminton is not a sport that most of us think about often and very rarely outside of every four years at the Summer Olympics and maybe the odd cookout or beach party here or there. But the fact that it’s a bit unique made it a major inspiration for this new heat shield design which could see a space flight and test as soon as a year from now.
The inspiration comes from the steering wheel, the object that would otherwise be a ball in any other sport. A weighted head, usually rubber or cork, with a set of feathers or feather-like projections mounted to it, contributes to the unique flight characteristics when struck by a missile. The heat shield, called Pridwen and built by Welsh company Space Forge, can be folded before launch and then expanded into this steering wheel-like shape once it’s ready for re-entry. However, this is unlikely to protect astronauts any time soon. The device is primarily designed to return materials from the Moon or asteroids, or to land spacecraft on atmospheric bodies such as Mars or Venus.
With some tests already done, Space Forge hopes this heat shield will see space flight before the end of 2023. That’s not the end of the badminton inspiration, though. This device can reportedly slow down a re-entering ship so much that it can be caught in a net. Not exactly the goal when playing sports, but certainly a welcome homecoming for any craft that uses this system. Of course, getting down from space is only half the battle. Take a look at this other unique spacecraft that instead takes off in a rather unconventional way.
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