Flying on other planets
Autonomous helicopter for Mars
NASA is sending a specially designed mini helicopter to Mars in July 2020. As Mars is too far away for the helicopter to be controlled from here in real time, it will control itself autonomously.
Flying a heavy object on an alien planet in its atmosphere is no small challenge. The atmosphere on Mars is much thinner than ours and corresponds to a height of 40,000 feet above the surface on Earth. This is why the two rotors, which are arranged one above the other, rotate in opposite directions at 3,000 revolutions per minute. The rotational speed is therefore ten times higher than usual on earth. The entire helicopter has a mass of 1.8 kg. The fuselage is about the size of a softball.
The helicopter is equipped with lithium-ion batteries and solar cells that charge the batteries. The batteries also power the heating system that keeps the helicopter warm during the cold Martian nights. Engineers and scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have been developing the helicopter for four years.
The rover is to set the helicopter down at a suitable location and then serves as a relay station for the commands from Earth. As soon as the helicopter has completed all its tests, the control station on Earth will give the command for the first autonomous flight on a foreign planet in the history of space travel.
A total of 30 days are planned, during which the helicopter will complete up to five flights, each new flight slightly longer than the previous one. The duration of the first flight should be up to 90 seconds. During its first flight, the helicopter should climb 10 feet (3 m) in altitude and fly for at least 30 seconds.
The helicopter will be brought to the red planet as part of the 'Mars 2020 Rover Mission'. The launch is planned for July 2020. After the launch with an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, the rover and helicopter are expected to arrive on Mars in February 2021.
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