![]() ![]() The atmosphere of Mars is only one percent that of Earth, so when our helicopter is on the Martian surface, it’s already at the Earth equivalent of 100,000 feet up,” said Mimi Aung, Mars Helicopter project manager at JPL. “The altitude record for a helicopter flying here on Earth is about 40,000 feet. It will do so attached to the belly pan of the Mars 2020 rover. The helicopter also contains built-in capabilities needed for operation at Mars, including solar cells to charge its lithium-ion batteries, and a heating mechanism to keep it warm through the cold Martian nights. But before the helicopter can fly at Mars it has to get there. It will attempt controlled flight in Mars’ thin atmosphere, which may enable more ambitious missions in the future. “Exploring the Red Planet with NASA’s Mars Helicopter exemplifies a successful marriage of science and technology innovation and is a unique opportunity to advance Mars exploration for the future,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, Associate Administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at the agency headquarters in Washington. “After the Wright Brothers proved 117 years ago that powered, sustained, and controlled flight was possible here on Earth, another group of American pioneers may prove the same can be done on another world.” The Mars Helicopter is a technology demonstration that will travel to the Red Planet with the Mars 2020 rover. Its fuselage is about the size of a softball, and its twin, counter-rotating blades will bite into the thin Martian atmosphere at almost 3,000 rpm – about 10 times the rate of a helicopter on Earth. The result of the team’s four years of design, testing and redesign weighs in at little under four pounds (1.8 kilograms). Started in August 2013 as a technology development project at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the Mars Helicopter had to prove that big things could come in small packages. “This exciting and visionary achievement will inspire young people all over the United States to become scientists and engineers, paving the way for even greater discoveries in the future.”Īnimation of Mars helicopter and Mars 2020 rover. “It’s fitting that the United States of America is the first nation in history to fly the first heavier-than-air craft on another world,” Culberson said. John Culberson of Texas echoed Bridenstine’s appreciation of the impact of American firsts on the future of exploration and discovery. The Mars Helicopter holds much promise for our future science, discovery, and exploration missions to Mars.” “The idea of a helicopter flying the skies of another planet is thrilling. “NASA has a proud history of firsts,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. The Mars Helicopter, a small, autonomous rotorcraft, will travel with the agency’s Mars 2020 rover mission, currently scheduled to launch in July 2020, to demonstrate the viability and potential of heavier-than-air vehicles on the Red Planet. NASA’s Mars Helicopter, a small, autonomous rotorcraft, will travel with the agency’s Mars 2020 rover, currently scheduled to launch in July 2020, to demonstrate the viability and potential of heavier-than-air vehicles on the Red Planet.
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