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The bump of Why can't you just parachute down from orbit? got me curious about if hypersonic parachutes were even a thing, but before I found out I stumbled back across LOFTID, which apparently had a successful test. However, a cursory glance at the literature makes it seem like all the proposed applications for inflatable decelerators like LOFTID are for Mars entry (aside from something like the old Paracone), despite the tests being at Earth.

Is there some really clear trade-off/trade-stufy that makes inflatable decelerators not attractive for reentry from LEO versus other options? Something else like TRL too low? Am I just wrong?

I saw Does an inflatable heat shield have some capacity to be used for LEO Earth's atmospheric entry? and GremlinWranger's answer makes some relevant claims but I'm imagining there's some clearer existing consensus about what re-entry scenarios inflatable heat shields are useful for (maybe parameterized by payload weight vs energy?).

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    $\begingroup$ My unsourced speculation from looking around doing the answer linked is that max Q may be a limit in terms of keeping an inflatable shield correctly shaped. $\endgroup$
    – GremlinWranger
    Commented Sep 15 at 4:48
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    $\begingroup$ While looking into LOFTID more I found out it had an ejectable data recorder, which was tested for dropworthiness by throwing it out of an airplane. Small world; I also tested an ejectable data recorder for a NASA project by throwing it out of an airplane, but mine was for Orion Ascent Abort 2. (The data recorder was not mine, I just helped a bit, including by throwing it out of an airplane) $\endgroup$
    – Erin Anne
    Commented Sep 15 at 6:38
  • $\begingroup$ does TRL = Technology Readiness Level and "TRL too low" = not ready? That would certainly make a technology not attractive :-) $\endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Commented Sep 18 at 10:19
  • $\begingroup$ @uhoh thank you for the link, you made it much easier to edit the clarification in while I was eating lunch $\endgroup$
    – Erin Anne
    Commented Sep 18 at 19:38
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    $\begingroup$ @uhoh I did mean "trade" btw, in the sense of trade-off $\endgroup$
    – Erin Anne
    Commented Sep 18 at 19:45

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