When the first astronauts land on Mars , they will not use a conventional parachute or heat shield that has been used before . Instead , upon impacting the upper Martian atmosphere , a large inflatable saucer-shaped structure will slow their progress . This is the low density supersonic decelerator ( LDSD ) and , in June , Nasa will perform the latest test of this groundbreaking technology - a vital next step in the journey to Mars . Scroll down for a video from last year 's test . In June , the vehicle will be sent into near-space from the Navy 's Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai , Hawaii , to test its re-entry capabilities into Earth 's atmosphere . Tomorrow at 9am to 10am PDT ( 5pm to 6pm GMT ) , Nasa will perform a spin test of the vehicle at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California before transporting it to Hawaii . The event will be streamed live on Ustream , and viewers will be able to ask questions on Twitter using the # AskNasa hashtag . Ultimately , the vehicle will be sent into near-space from the Navy 's Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai , Hawaii , in June . The LDSD is unique in its design , using a donut-shaped inflatable decelerator to create atmospheric drag . When attached to the exterior of a capsule travelling at Mach 3.5 it will be capable of slowing it down to Mach 2 , where a regular parachute can then deploy . Last June , to simulate the Martian atmosphere on Earth , the LDSD was lifted to a height of 23 miles ( 37km ) by a high-altitude balloon . A small rocket then launched it 11 miles ( 18km ) higher . As this point the LDSD inflated around a larger saucer-shaped object , bringing it safely back to land in open water . ‘ The LDSD crosscutting demonstration mission will test breakthrough technologies that will enable large payloads to be safely landed on the surface of Mars , or other planetary bodies with atmospheres , including Earth , ’ Nasa said in a statement . ‘ The technologies will not only enable landing of larger payloads on Mars , but also allow access to much more of the planet 's surface by enabling landings at higher-altitude sites. ’ Esessentially parachute , the LDSD is large - 15ft ( 4.6 metres ) wide and weighing 7,000lbs ( 3.200kg ) - in order to cope with the atmosphere of Mars . Earth has a reasonably thick atmosphere , so we can parachute relatively easily to the surface . But the Martian atmosphere is much thinner , so parachutes need to be much larger in order to create sufficient drag to land safely . The system is designed to land large vehicles on the surface of Mars . The main structural body of the second flight test vehicle in Nasa 's LDSD project is seen during its assembly in a cleanroom at Nasa 's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.The flight test for this vehicle is planned in June of this year . It will eventually be used to take humans to the surface of Mars . A successful test took place in June 2014 , shown , when the LDSD successfully re-entered part of Earth 's atmosphere . It showed that while some aspects of the vehicle worked , others - like its parachutes - needed further development following the test . The Curiosity rover , for example , needed an innovative landing method due to its size but this technology wasn ’ t ready yet . Instead , to land the rover on the surface Nasa developed a landing mechanism that used rockets known as the ‘ sky crane ’ . The LDSD , however , is an alternative way to reach the surface that will be able to land things that are bigger than Curiosity , such as equipment for a manned mission or humans themselves . There will be four tests of the LDSD in total before mission managers decide whether to employ it on future Mars missions . The tests are taking place over the Hawaiian island of Kauai in June . In a test last year , in June 2014 , the vehicle was partially successful - although a parachute was torn apart when it deployed , owing to the high forces . Moment of truth : The parachute is shown here unfurling on the right . The balloon on the left was used to pull the 200lb ( 90kg ) parachute from its sturdy canister . The LDSD , shown , is an alternative way to reach the surface that will be able to land things that are bigger than Curiosity , such as equipment for a manned mission or humans themselves . Carried as payload during the shakeout flight were two technologies scheduled to be tested next year aboard this same type of test vehicle . The Supersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator ( SIAD ) is a large , doughnut-shaped air brake that deployed during the flight , helping slow the vehicle from 3.8 to two times the speed of sound . The second , the Supersonic Disksail Parachute , is the largest supersonic parachute ever flown . It has more than double the area of the parachute which was used for the Mars Science Laboratory mission that carried the Curiosity rover to the surface of Mars . ' A good test is one where there are no surprises but a great test is one where you are able to learn new things , and that is certainly what we have in this case , ' said Ian Clark , principal investigator for LDSD at Nasa 's Jet Propulsion Laboratory , after the test . And Nasa will be hoping to learn just as much on their latest attempt at using the LDSD .
Nasa will fly its new heat shield from Hawaii in a couple of months . Tomorrow it will perform a spin-test of the new technology . It is known as the low density supersonic decelerator ( LDSD ) Nasa says it could one day be used to take humans onto Mars .